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UK coronavirus: GP surgery on lockdown as TWO medics test positive for bug and ‘super-spreader’ puts hundreds at risk
TWO medics are among four people who were diagnosed with coronavirus today — as a GP surgery was placed in lockdown.
The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, East Sussex, was closed while staff in hazmat suits deep cleaned the surgery.
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Meanwhile, just three miles away a University of Sussex student was rushed to hospital this afternoon for tests after falling ill on campus.
Patcham Nursing Home on the edge of the city was also closed to visitors as a precaution amid fears one of the infected medics had visited on Tuesday.
Four more people were confirmed as having the virus today - taking the total number of cases in the UK to eight.
The new cases - three men and a woman - are all known contacts of a businessman who was diagnosed in Brighton last week.
The middle-aged "super-spreader" contracted the virus at a conference in Singapore before travelling to a ski chalet in France.
He then returned to the UK on an easyJet flight - prompting health bosses to desperately hunt for the hundreds of passengers who were on the flight.
Health bosses confirmed the newly-diagnosed cases were contracted in France and are being treated at specialist infection centres at St Thomas' and the Royal Free hospitals in London.
'Super-spreader'
Public Health England Medical Director Yvonne Doyle said: "As a result of our contact tracing we now know the new cases announced today are all closely linked to one another.
"Our priority has been to speak to those who have close and sustained contact with confirmed cases, so we can advise them on what they can do to limit the spread of the virus.
"Two of these new cases are healthcare workers and as soon as they were identified, we advised them to self-isolate in order to keep patient contact to a minimum.
"We are now working urgently to identify all patients and other healthcare workers who may have come into close contact, and at this stage we believe this to be a relatively small number.
"We would like to thank all those who have followed public health advice and have taken the necessary steps to reduce the risk to the general public."
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One of the men is understood to be a doctor who was part of a group that were skiing in the resort near Chamonix with the businessman, who is being treated at the specialist infectious diseases unit at St Thomas'.
The GP was at work for one day but did not treat any patients and instead did admin work, the reports.
A sign pinned on the front has urged patients to ring the NHS 111 phone service if they have concerns.
Meanwhile, a GP surgery in Northamptonshire has also reportedly closed its doors after a "potential coronavirus incident".
Brackley Medical Centre posted on Facebook to say that the premises were being "cleaned and cleared as a precautionary measure."
Five other British nationals are being treated in France after being diagnosed with coronavirus having come into contact with the man, according to the French health ministry.
The four adults and a nine-year-old child, who are not in a serious condition, were staying in the Alpine resort area of Contamines-Montjoie near Mont Blanc.
Among them is Bob Saynor, who owns the ski chalet in Contamines-Montjoie, and his nine-year-old son.
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Mr Saynor's wife Catriona, 50, was under observation in a UK hospital, according to French health minister Agnes Buzyn.
It's not been confirmed whether she is among the four people diagnosed with the virus today.
Coronavirus fears are also now heightened in Hove - including at Portslade Community Academy pupil being treated in "self isolation" after coming into contact with the super-spreader.
Five staff members at The Grenadier Pub in Hove are also in self-isolation at home after the man visited the boozer between 7pm and 9pm last Saturday.
Volunteers at a community centre are also in self-isolation after the man went to a yoga class last week.
One user told the : "People are very concerned about the lack of clear information from the NHS about this man's movements."
And a Brit dad was also quarantined in a Majorca hospital after testing positive and Spanish authorities appeared to confirm the case was again linked to the French ski chalet.
'Super -spreader' fears
Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, said: “Experts at Public Health England continue to work hard tracing patient contacts from the UK cases.
"They successfully identified these individuals and ensured the appropriate support was provided.
“The patients have been transferred to specialist NHS centres at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and The Royal Free hospitals, and we are now using robust infection control measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
"The NHS is extremely well prepared to manage these cases and treat them, and we are working quickly to identify any further contacts these patients have had."
A frantic search is now underway to find the hundreds of people the original spreader may have had contact with.
The mystery man was unaware he contracted the virus during a conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Singapore organised by British gas firm Servomex.
Frantic hunt
He flew back to the Gatwick from Geneva on an easyJet flight with 183 passengers and six crew on January 28.
In a statement easyJet said:"easyJet has been notified by the public health authority that a customer who had recently travelled on one of its flights has since been diagnosed with the Coronavirus.
"Public Health England is contacting all customers on the flight which was flight EZS8481 from Geneva to London Gatwick on 28 January, to provide guidance in line with procedures.
"As the customer was not experiencing any symptoms, the risk to others on board the flight is very low.
We remain in contact with the public health authorities and are following their guidance.
"The health and well-being of our passengers and crew is the airline's highest priority.
"All of the crew who operated have been advised to monitor themselves for a 14-day period since the flight in line with Public Health England advice. Note this happened 12 days ago and none are displaying any symptoms."
New powers
It comes as the Government declared coronavirus a "serious and imminent threat to public health" as it introduced new powers to deal with the spread of the virus.
Under new powers announced today, the health ministry said people with the illness can now be forcibly quarantined and will not be free to leave, and can be forcibly sent into isolation if they pose a threat to public health.
The measures are understood to have been introduced after a Brit attempted to flee Arrowe Park quarantine centre in the Wirral.
Around 150 Brits were flown to Arrowe Park from coronavirus ground zero Wuhan and have agreed to remain there for the 14-day quarantine periodm, which ends on Thursday.
Meanwhile, 60 more people on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in the port of Yokohama have tested positive for the disease.
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There are now 130 confirmed cases on the ship with more than 3,600 people, including 78 Brits, still in a 14-day quarantine on board.
And elsewhere in the UK, a University of York student and their relative are still being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary infectious diseases centre in Newcastle for the bug.
There have been more than 40,000 cases of the virus globally, mostly in China, while the death toll in China now stands at 908.
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