Another 117 are tested for coronavirus in UK in one day as total passes 3,000

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Another 117 are tested for coronavirus in UK in one day as total passes 3,000 after sixth Briton becomes infected and millions face being told to stay at home for two weeks

  • Another 117 were tested overnight for the deadly coronavirus in Britain
  • More than 3,000 have been screened and six Britons have caught the virus 
  • Nine have tested positive in total but eight have been discharged from hospital
  • It comes as the NHS unveiled new ‘isolation pods’ outside a Cambridge A&E

By Ross Ibbetson For Mailonline

Published: 15:47 GMT, 16 February 2020 | Updated: 15:48 GMT, 16 February 2020

Another 117 were tested for coronavirus overnight as the total screened soared over 3,000 with a sixth Briton infected by the deadly contagion.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said on Sunday that 3,109 tests have been carried out in the UK so far, with nine positive results.

Eight of those patients have now been discharged from hospital after recording two negative tests for the strain known as Covid-19.

But ‘millions’ of Britons with flu-like symptoms could be told by authorities to ‘self-isolate’ by staying at home for a fortnight if the UK’s number of confirmed cases passes 100, the Sunday Telegraph has reported. 

Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London where a number of patients had been transferred after testing positive with coronavirus

Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London where a number of patients had been transferred after testing positive with coronavirus

Coronavirus isolation pods that have been put in place outside Addenbrooke's A&E Department in Cambridge

Coronavirus isolation pods that have been put in place outside Addenbrooke's A&E Department in Cambridge

Coronavirus isolation pods that have been put in place outside Addenbrooke’s A&E Department in Cambridge

The paper said that senior NHS managers have been told that the service will stop testing for Covid-19 ‘once around 100 cases have been confirmed’ across Britain.

In the last week hospitals have created ‘isolation pods’ to keep those being tested away from other patients, it added.

Pictures show pods outside Addenbrooke’s A&E Department in Cambridge which have been erected as a precautionary measure but are not yet operational. 

Yet if large numbers fall ill with mild symptoms there would be an increased risk of the virus spreading as isolation could not be maintained.   

If the number of cases rises significantly those with coughs and colds may be asked to stay home to limit the chance of the outbreak spreading. 

However this could spell havoc for workplaces with millions taking off two weeks if they are feeling under the weather. 

Symptoms of the virus include a dry cough, fever and tiredness – many of which are also present for the common cold and flu.   

A sign on the isolation pods outside Addenbrooke's A&E Department in Cambridge. Yet if large numbers fall ill with mild symptoms there would be an increased risk of the virus spreading as isolation could not be maintained

A sign on the isolation pods outside Addenbrooke's A&E Department in Cambridge. Yet if large numbers fall ill with mild symptoms there would be an increased risk of the virus spreading as isolation could not be maintained

A sign on the isolation pods outside Addenbrooke’s A&E Department in Cambridge. Yet if large numbers fall ill with mild symptoms there would be an increased risk of the virus spreading as isolation could not be maintained

The isolation pods outside Addenbrooke's A&E Department in Cambridge are not yet operational

The isolation pods outside Addenbrooke's A&E Department in Cambridge are not yet operational

The isolation pods outside Addenbrooke’s A&E Department in Cambridge are not yet operational

All NHS hospitals in England have been ordered to create secure pods to assess patients with suspected coronavirus

All NHS hospitals in England have been ordered to create secure pods to assess patients with suspected coronavirus

All NHS hospitals in England have been ordered to create secure pods to assess patients with suspected coronavirus

Sixth British national tests positive for coronavirus after staying at Les Contamines-Montjoie resort in French Alps

A sixth person has tested positive for coronavirus after they are thought to have contracted the infection from ‘super-spreader’ businessman Steve Walsh. 

Sales executive Steve Walsh was sent to an isolation unit at St Thomas’ Hospital in London after picking up the disease from one of the 100 other delegates at a Singapore gas conference last month.

Five Britons – four adults and a child – staying at the same chalet as the ‘super-spreader’ in France tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Environmental consultant Bob Saynor, 48, and his nine-year-old son were named locally as two of the Brits

After the five Britons tested positive, another six were taken to hospital and put in isolation where one has now been diagnosed. 

A statement from the French Ministry of Health said the man’s condition is not believed to be serious.   

The dramatic government strategy comes after the global death toll hits 1,666 and an 80-year-old man in France became the first fatality from the infection in Europe. 

The change of tack follows the announcement by French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn who confirmed the death of an elderly Chinese tourist, who travelled to the country from the Hubei province on January 16.

The victim, who was quarantined in Bichat hospital in Paris on January 25, leaves behind a daughter who is battling the infection but making a good recovery.

He died of a lung infection sparked by the bug which caused his condition to ‘rapidly deteriorate’.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called for ‘more international cooperation’ to ensure that the virus does not escalate into a global pandemic. 

The World Health Organisation advises countries to do in-depth investigations of at least the first 100 confirmed cases of any pandemic. 

Britain’s Pandemic Influenza Response Plan includes how the ‘first few 100 cases’ have protocols in place to ensure isolation and treatment to ensure medics can gather sufficient information about a new virus. 

However the plan details how a different approach should be taken if there is ‘evidence of sustained community transmission’. 

The number of people in the UK tested for the virus has quadrupled in the last week from 686 to a staggering 2,992.  

The NHS tested 763 patients on Thursday alone despite the capacity being 1,000 per day.  

Proffesor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, told how the current approach by the health service aims to contain and delay the spread of the virus in a bid to ‘buy time.’