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A health worker checks the temperature of a traveller as part of the coronavirus screening procedure at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko

Britain reports first two cases of coronavirus

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Two patients from the same family in England have tested positive for coronavirus, the first such cases in Britain, England's chief medical officer said on Friday.

"The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus," England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said.

"The NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread," he added.

The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, the capital of China's central province of Hubei, and has spread to more than 9,800 people globally, surpassing the total from the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic. The new virus has killed 213 people.

There are 131 confirmed cases in 23 countries and regions outside mainland China, including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and the United States.

Meanwhile, three Irish nationals have been evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Irish group will have to spend two weeks in quarantine in a UK hospital.

It is understood that returning passengers will be put on buses which will take them to empty staff accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital, in Wirral, Merseyside, where they will stay for two weeks.

The 900-bed flagship hospital is situated in the Wirral peninsula.

A pool table has been installed and access to the internet has been arranged to provide entertainment for the passengers, none of whom would have been allowed leave Wuhan if they did not pass a medical exam indicating they were clear of the virus.

It comes amid tightened checks here by the HSE to keep Ireland free of the spread of the virus which has killed 170 and infected over 7,700.

Health officials said a number of suspected cases were examined here in the past week but they were given the all clear and none was in need of more testing.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Thursday

China has taken "the most comprehensive and rigorous prevention and control measures", a foreign ministry spokeswoman said in response to the WHO declaration.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had commended China for its efforts and said the WHO was not recommending curbs on travel or trade with the Asian giant.

He said the global emergency was declared because of the danger the virus could spread to countries with weak health systems, adding, "We must act now."

Chinese health authorities said the number of infections had risen to 9,692 by Thursday.

The WHO has reported at least eight instances of human-to-human transmission in four countries: the United States, Germany, Japan and Vietnam.

Researchers worldwide are rushing to unlock the secrets of this virus and make a vaccine.

Many airlines have stopped flying to mainland China, including Air France KLM SA, British Airways, Germany's Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic, while others have cut flights.

More to follow

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