Two Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed in UK - England's Chief Medical Officer

Earlier in the day, the UK Foreign Office stated that a plane carrying 83 UK and 27 foreign nationals had left the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Reuters reported Friday citing Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty that two cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country.

The official further added that the two people were members of the same family.

"We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus," Chris Whitty said, adding they were getting "specialist care".

According to the senior official, "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." 

The confirmation comes hours after it was reported that a plane had evacuated 83 UK and 27 foreign nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier this week, Dr Yvonne Doyle, a medical director and director for health protection at Public Health England, said that the country was “well prepared” for a potential outbreak of the virus.

The novel strain of coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei province, last December and has since spread to 19 countries. The virus has already killed 213 people in China as well as infected over 9,600 more.