Everything we know about coronavirus in the UK so far

So far there have been 40 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, with 12 more people testing positive over the weekend, and a further four today.

That includes one person in Greater Manchester, with the man from Bury immediately self-isolating after returning from Italy – it’s being reported he visited Milan. 

According to Bury council’s director for public health Lesley Jones he was ‘quickly’ tested, and has now been transferred to a specialist hospital in London.

All of his close contacts are being tested for the virus, but health officials reportedly won’t confirm what date he returned to the UK or which airport he used.

Besides the case in Bury, two people from Leeds who had been to Iran and one person from Bradford who had travelled to Italy tested positive for coronavirus. 

The Scottish government also confirmed its first case yesterday, saying the patient was receiving treatment in hospital in isolation.

Three of the new cases down south were close contacts of the man from Surrey who tested positive on Friday, and were ‘part of an adult family cluster’, Public Health England said.

China News Service

According to the Guardian, as of today, March 2nd, coronavirus has affected an estimated 87,000 people globally, with 44,462 (56%) of the 80,026 confirmed cases in mainland China having recovered and 2,912 (3.6%) dying.

As it stands, at least 30 countries have been affected by coronavirus, with South Korea (4,212 cases and 22 deaths), Italy (1,100 cases and 29 deaths) and Japan (850 cases and four deaths) worst affected.

Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, France, and the US have also reported deaths, while there have been no fatalities in the UK to date.

China News Service

People who have fallen ill from it have reported feeling flu-like symptoms, including a fever, a cough and breathing difficulties, while in some cases it can cause pneumonia – in very severe instances there can be organ failure.

Regular antibiotics won’t help, as it’s viral, and the antiviral flu drugs we already have don’t work. If you contract coronavirus your recovery depends on your immune system’s strength, and many of those who have died were already in poor health (it appears to hit older people hardest, with few cases in children).

It’s currently unclear how dangerous it is, but the mortality rate is roughly 2% in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, and less elsewhere. To compare, seasonal flu usually has a mortality rate below 1% (around 400,000 annual deaths across the world), and Sars had a death rate of more than 10%.


To help stop the spread of the virus, the NHS recommends covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze, immediately putting used tissues in the bin, washing your hands with soap and water often, and avoiding close contact with people who are unwell.

If you’ve recently travelled from areas affected by coronavirus, the current UK medical advice is to call NHS 111 to inform them of your travel and stay indoors and avoid contact with people.

For more advice on coronavirus head over to the NHS site here, and for full travel advice to UK nationals visit the government site here.