The first British national has tested positive for coronavirus after travelling back to the UK from Singapore, government sources have said.

England’s chief medical officer earlier confirmed that there had been a third case in the UK but declined to confirm the patient’s nationality.

Government sources later indicated that the individual was British, middle-aged and contracted the coronavirus in Singapore.

It came after an unnamed Chinese student from York University and his mother were diagnosed with the disease earlier this week. The pair are being treated in Newcastle.

The latest case has heightened doctors’ concerns about the possibility of more coronavirus cases arriving from countries in Asia other than China, potentially making containment of the virus more difficult to manage.

No further details have been given of the third person to be confirmed with pneumonia as a result of the coronavirus.The patient, who it is understood was diagnosed in Brighton, has been transferred to a London hospital with a specialist infectious diseases unit

“A further patient has tested positive for coronavirus bringing the total number of cases in the UK to three. The individual did not acquire this in the UK,” said Prof Chris Whitty, England’s CMO, in a statement. Read more

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