A BRITISH man onboard a cruise ship has been confirmed as the first UK-related victim of the deadly Coronavirus. 

The Japanese Ministry of Health said the man was the sixth person from ship, which has been quarantined off the country’s coast amid the outbreak, to have died.

He is the first Briton to have died from coronavirus, also known as Covid-19.

In the UK, 19 people have now been diagnosed with the illness, after Wales reported its first patient and two more sufferers were identified in England.

Health authorities ordered a 14-day quarantine for all on board the Diamond Princess, which had an original population of 3,711 passengers, on February 5.

Passengers who had tested negative were allowed to disembark at the end of the two weeks.

Health minister Jo Churchill has said she was aware a British man who had been on board the ship was “very poorly”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “The Foreign Office are supporting the family of a British man who has been very poorly and was a passenger on board the Diamond Princess.

“I haven’t had confirmation because obviously I’m on the telephone to you, but I was aware there was a gentleman who was very, very poorly, and I’m sure like me your thoughts and sympathies go out to his family at this time.”

A family member of David and Sally Abel, who had been on board the ship and were both diagnosed with coronavirus, confirmed the couple were “doing well and fighting fit”, adding: “They are getting stronger every day.”

Princess Cruises, which operates the Diamond Princess ship, have offered their condolences to the British man’s friends and family.

Elsewhere on Friday, Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton, said that the first diagnosed patient in Wales had recently travelled back from Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe.

He told the PA news agency that the man had returned from a holiday there last week, and is now being treated at one of the specialist centres in an English hospital.

Those identified in England had recently travelled back from Iran, the Department of Health said. The virus has spread rapidly across Iran – with 22 dead amid 141 cases confirmed.

Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said the patients have been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

MARKET CORONA CRISIS

CORONAVIRUS is spreading rapidly across the world and for the first time MORE cases are being reported outside of China than inside it, where the virus came originated and President Trump is “hoping for a miracle” as global stock markets tumbled in their biggest drop since 2008. 

In a top-secret memo revealed to a UK newspaper the British Government has planned for the “reasonable worst-case scenario” that could see 80% of the population being infected. 

Many countries are planning “worst case scenario” contingency planning with the UK planning for a epidemic that could involve up to 50 million people becoming infected.

The Dow Jones in New York fell by 1,200 points Thursday, its biggest single-day point drop in history with CNBC said it was “the worst week since the 2008 financial crisis.”

MAJOR FTSE DROPS

LONDON’s FTSE 100 plunged four per cent today as the UK reported a rise to 19 coronavirus cases as global stock markets tumbled.

City AM reported London’s blue-chip index lost 4.11 per cent, or 280 points, to plummet to 6,516.9 points.

Analysts warned there was no end in sight for markets misery as the coronavirus outbreak spread across the world.

TRUMP: ‘HOPING FOR A MIRACLE’

The United States of America has confirmed its first case in Northern California, despite the fact that the patient hadn’t travelled before catching the virus. 

The patient is currently being treated in UC Davis Medical Centre in Sacramento. This comes as President Donald Trump claimed that the risk of the virus was ‘very low’ in the country, and that his Vice President in Mike Pence is now leading the response to the problem in the United States.

“It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday as the virus marched across Asia and Europe.

The President also warned that things could “get worse before it gets better,” but he added it could “maybe go away. We’ll see what happens. Nobody really knows.” as he put Vice President Mike Pence in control of the US reaction to the virus.

“President Trump has no higher priority than the health, safety and wellbeing of Americans,” Pence said at a conservative political conference outside Washington. “While the risk to the American public remains low like the President said yesterday we’re ready. We’re ready for anything.”

 More notably in the UK, the amount of cases has now risen to 19, with new cases coming to us.

One of them was caught after visiting Italy, all the while the first case on the Canary Islands has spring up. Schools meanwhile have been affected as well; casein point the Burbage Primary School, in Buxton, which has had to close following worries about a parent with the virus, leading to the school having to undergo a ‘clean’ before being reopened.

Meanwhile, Japan has taken similar action to contain the spread of the virus, as schools are set to be shut up until spring break, as in early April. Some have even gone as far to suggest the 2020 Olympics in Japan should be cancelled because of fears of the virus spreading. This comes after the Six Nations rugby match between Ireland and Italy was cancelled because of fear of contagion.

Other countries have also installed their plans for stopping the spread of the disease. Most notably Australia, whereby plans of stadiums being used as quarantine zones and mass vaccinations (plans which have been in place for years) are set to come in to effect. So far only 22 cases have been identified in Australia, with no fatalities.

The spread of the virus has also led to famous religious institutions getting involved. The Vatican for example, have taken extra steps in preparations for Ash Wednesday to stop the spread of the virus, which has been a major problem in neighbouring Italy. Meanwhile in Mecca in Saudi Arabia (the holy site of Islam), travels to the area have been banned by the Saudi government, because of fears of the virus.

So far, there are 81,000 cases of the virus worldwide, with 2,700 deaths so far.

DON’T SMOOTH THE POOCH 

DOGS could catch the deadly Coronavirus according to the Hong Kong government. 

One person who caught the virus in Hong Kong passed it on to his pet dog and tests revealed that the mut had “low levels” of the virus that’s been named COVID-19. 

The dog tested “weak positive” for the virus Hong Kong agricultural and fisheries department said in a statement.

The AFCD received a referral from the Department of Health on February 26 that a dog of a patient infected with COVID-19 disease virus will be handed over to the AFCD. 

Staff of the AFCD picked up the dog from a residential flat at Tai Hang in the evening on the same day and sent the dog to the animal keeping facility at the Hong Kong Port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Oral, nasal and rectal samples were collected for testing of COVID-19 virus. 

The nasal and oral cavity samples were tested weak positive to COVID-19 virus. The dog does not have any relevant symptoms.

The above dog is the only dog under quarantine at animal keeping facility at the Hong Kong Port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge at the moment. There are no other animals using the said facility. Staff of the department will step up cleansing and disinfection of the animal keeping facility.

At present, the AFCD does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected with COVID-19 virus or can be a source of infection to people. 

The Department will conduct close monitoring of the above dog and collect further samples for testing to confirm if the dog has really been infected with the virus or this is a result of environmental contamination of the dog’s mouth and nose. Repeated tests will be conducted for the dog and it will only be returned when the test result is negative. 

ADDITIONAL REPORTING PA MEDIA

OFFICIAL ADVICE ON VIRUS

Based on the World Health Organization’s declaration that this is a public health emergency of international concern, the UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the UK from low to moderate.

RETURNING TRAVELLERS

Call NHS 111, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people immediately if you’ve travelled to the UK from:

• Hubei province in China in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms
• Iran, lockdown areas in northern Italy or special care zones in South Korea since 19 February, even if you do not have symptoms
• other parts of mainland China or South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan or Thailand in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if your symptoms are mild)
• other parts of northern Italy (anywhere north of Pisa, Florence and Rimini), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar or Vietnam since 19 February and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if your symptoms are mild)

In Scotland call your GP or NHS 24 on 111 out of hours. In Northern Ireland call 0300 200 7885.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

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