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A healthcare worker at a hospital in Hillingdon has tested positive for the Covid-19 strain of coronavirus.

The employee at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre , a highly specialised cancer treatment centre in Northwood , was one of 13 people to test positive for the virus in the UK over the weekend.

They have been described as working in a clinician's role at the West London hospital, the Mirror reported .

All those who were in contact with the clinician have been identified, the NHS has confirmed in a statement.

It added that the risk to patients and staff at the hospital is "very low", and that it was still safe for patients to attend the hospital.

A message on the hospital's website reads: “All individuals who were in contact with the clinician have been identified and the appropriate measures taken.

“The risk to patients and staff at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is very low and we are working with individual patients to appropriately manage their care.

“We would like to offer assurance that it remains safe for patients to attend Mount Vernon Cancer Centre as normal and ask patients to attend scheduled outpatients’ appointments.”

The total number of reported cases in the UK is now at 36 after 13 more people were recorded yesterday, including the first in Scotland.

Three of the latest cases are family members of a man from Surrey who tested positive on Friday. He had no recent travel history and is believed to be the first person to have contracted Covid-19 within the UK.

All four are adults, including one more from Surrey and two from West Sussex.

A London boys' Catholic school closed after a staff member was treated for coronavirus, it was confirmed on Monday morning (March 2).

(Image: Wimbledon College)

The Wimbledon College employee was confirmed as having Covid-19 after travelling back from Italy during half term.

He was last in school on the morning of February 25 and is not believed to have had contact with pupils since then.

The school announced in a statement that it would reopen on March 10 after it carried out a "deep clean".

Boris Johnson is expected to warn ministers that Covid-19 will present a "significant challenge" to the country as he finalises a new battle plan by the Government at a Cobra meeting on Monday.

Expected measures could include a ban on public gatherings.

Globally, the number of people killed worldwide by the virus exceeds 3,000 and there have been almost 90,000 confirmed cases.

While most patients only have mild symptoms, Covid-19 appears to be much more deadly than seasonal flu.

In Italy, which has the most cases in Europe, the number of infections doubled in 48 hours over the weekend.

Italy now has 1,694 confirmed cases and has seen 34 deaths.