Number of UK patients tested for coronavirus jumps to 52

All the people tested for the coronavirus in the UK have come back as not having the deadly virus.

Around 52 people across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been tested for the flu-like illness.

The current risk to the public remains low, the Department of Health (DoH) said, adding the Government is continuing to monitor the situation closely.

In China, where coronavirus originated, there have been 56 deaths, and 1,975 infections, as a result of the infection.

Health officials are continuing to track down around 2,000 people who have recently flown into the UK from Wuhan, the area of China worst affected by the outbreak.

The DoH confirmed it is trying to find ‘as many passengers as we can’ who arrived from the region in the past two weeks to check on their wellbeing.

It is understood Border Force officers have been recruited to help speed up the search for passengers as testing for the virus continues in the UK.

A public health hub has been set up in Heathrow, staffed by a rotating team of seven clinicians working in shifts to support patients on arrival.

NHS staff have also been given an 11-page guide on how to handle coronavirus.

The Public Health England booklet, which was seen by the Sunday Times, advised GPs to keep anyone they suspected of having the virus in a closed and room and to not examine them.

Anyone looking at a suspected coronavirus patient was also told to wear full-face visors.

The guide adds: ‘The act of moving a recently deceased patient on to a hospital trolley for transportation to the mortuary might be sufficient to expel small amounts of air from the lungs and thereby present a minor risk.

‘A body bag should be used for transferring the body and those handling the body at this point should use full PPE [personal protective equipment].’

England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said there was a “fair chance” cases would emerge in Britain as the overall number reported around the world climbed to around 2,000 including 56 deaths, which have all occurred in China.

The professor spoke following a meeting of the Government’s Cobra emergency committee in Whitehall on Friday, chaired by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

He said: ‘We all agree that the risk to the UK public remains low, but there may well be cases in the UK at some stage.’

Prof Whitty added: ‘We think there’s a fair chance we may get some cases over time.

‘Of course this depends on whether this continues for a long time, or whether this turns out to be something which is brought under control relatively quickly.’

He said the virus looked ‘a lot less dangerous’ than contracting Ebola, the recent coronavirus MERS and ‘probably less dangerous’ than SARS virus.

But he added: ‘What we don’t know is how far it’s going to spread, that really is something we need to plan for all eventualities.’

Britons trapped in the Chinese province at the centre of the outbreak Hubei have been urged to leave the area if they are able to do so.

The Foreign Office updated its guidance to ‘advise against all travel to Hubei province’, which has been on lockdown for several days as China seeks to contain the illness.

But the guidance also said: ‘If you are in this area and able to leave, you should do so. This is due to the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.’

Home Secretary Priti Patel added she was ‘looking at all options’ to help Britons leave Wuhan following reports that officials have been asked to examine the logistics for an airlift from the city.

Authorities in China have cancelled a host of events marking New Year as they expand their lockdown against the virus.