The coronavirus has continued to spread around Greater Manchester, with three more cases confirmed today. It brings the total number of cases in the region to four, after one person from Bury tested positive over the weekend. Two of the new cases are also from Bury, and are known to the man who tested positive on Sunday, while the other is from Bolton – they became infected in Italy and are not connected to the Bury cases.
A case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Bolton:
✔️ Risk to the public remains low ✔️ Robust plans in place to stop virus spreading ✔️ Stay calm and wash hands regularly ℹ️ Latest advice and guidance: https://t.co/sOi5mkOOFjhttps://t.co/w9QwBlJ9Jr
Dr Will Welfare, interim deputy director, Health Protection for Public Health England North West, said: “Public Health England is contacting people who had close contact with three cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Greater Manchester. Two of the cases are residents of Bury.
“As a result of contact tracing we know the new Bury cases announced today are known contacts of the previously confirmed case from Bury.
“The third case is a resident of Bolton which is not linked to the two cases in Bury announced today. The Bolton resident became infected whilst in Italy.
“Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after contact with the confirmed cases. This tried and tested method will ensure we are able to minimise any risk to them and the wider public.”
Over the weekend a person from Greater Manchester was confirmed as the first case in the region, 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.
Besides the case in Bury, over the weekend two people from Leeds who had been to Iran and one person from Bradford who had travelled to Italy tested positive for coronavirus.
China News Service
According to the Guardian, as of 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
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.