Two prisoners in Oxfordshire have been tested for coronavirus, HuffPost
UK understands.
The inmates at HMP Bullingdon, which is located near Bicester, are being kept in isolation from other prisoners after displaying signs of the virus.
Sky News reported one of the prisoners had been transferred from a
Thailand jail. They are both said to be suffering flu-like symptoms.
As of Tuesday evening, a total of 1,358 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK, of which 1,350 were confirmed negative and eight positive, the Department of Health said.Boris Johnson said the UK should be “confident and calm” over the threat of the virus.
The prime minister praised the response of the NHS and said anyone concerned should “simply follow their advice”.
Meanwhile, Steve Walsh, the businessman at the centre of a UK outbreak of coronavirus, thanked the NHS for his treatment and said he is “fully recovered”.
Walsh, 53, from Hove in East Sussex, who is still in quarantine at St Thomas’ Hospital in
London, picked up coronavirus while at a conference in Singapore.
On his way back to the UK, he stopped off for several days at a French ski chalet, where five Britons were subsequently infected with the virus.
He is also linked to at least five further cases of coronavirus in the UK, including two doctors, one of whom worked at a Brighton surgery that has closed its doors.
Walsh is also linked to one male patient taken ill in Majorca.
Speaking from hospital, Walsh, a cub scout leader, said in a statement: “I would like to thank the NHS for their help and care – whilst I have fully recovered, my thoughts are with others who have contracted coronavirus.
“As soon as I knew I had been exposed to a confirmed case of coronavirus, I contacted my GP, NHS 111 and Public Health England.
“I was advised to attend an isolated room at hospital, despite showing no symptoms, and subsequently self-isolated at home as instructed.
“When the diagnosis was confirmed I was sent to an isolation unit in hospital, where I remain, and, as a precaution, my family was also asked to isolate themselves.
“I also thank friends, family and colleagues for their support during recent weeks and I ask the media to respect our privacy.”
It comes as the World Health Organisation announced a name for the new coronavirus – Covid-19.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference a name was decided that “did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease”.
Also on Tuesday, health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs in the Commons that new funding was being launched immediately “to support any urgent works the NHS needs for the coronavirus response, such as the creation of further isolation areas and other necessary facilities.”
Public Health
England is working to trace the small number of contacts of the two doctors, including a Brighton GP, who were among the four new cases announced on Monday.
In Brighton, Patcham Nursing Home said on Tuesday that it has “closed to all visitors” after one of the infected GPs visited a patient there about a week ago.
A spokeswoman for the care home said no one was unwell and the closure was a precaution.
The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton also remained closed after it emerged one of the doctors working there had contracted the virus.
A second branch of the surgery also closed but Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed they would reopen soon following “deep cleaning”.
Another surgery in Brighton, The Haven, said it was closed “due to unforeseen circumstances”, although there was no confirmation whether it was linked to the outbreak.
Meanwhile, pupils at Cottesmore St Mary’s Catholic and Bevendean Primary School in Brighton were told they could stay at home after a couple of teachers feared the had come into contact with the virus.Related... Coronavirus Now Has An Official Name – This Is Why That Matters Here's How The NHS Is Fighting The Spread Of Coronavirus