A student at the University of York has been declared as one of the first people to test positive for the new coronavirus in the United Kingdom.
The University of York student, alongside his relative, was diagnosed with the virus after falling sick in the Staycity apartment-hotel in York.
According to the University report, the student was not on campus or in student accommodation before or after exposure to the virus and is currently being treated in Newcastle by Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in its specialist Airborne High Consequences Infectious Disease Centre (HCID).
University of York vice-chancellor Professor Charlie Jeffery in a press briefing said the immediate concern of the institution was for the student, their family, along with the health and wellbeing of other staff, students, and visitors.
He explained that the risk of the virus passing from one student to the other on-campus was low, noting that the University is functioning and academic operation going on as usual.
According to him, information from Public Health England (PHE) suggests that the student did not come into contact with anybody on campus while they had symptoms. He added the institution was also investigating to establish that fact fully.
Professor further noted:
I want to reiterate to students, staff, parents, and visitors that we’re working with our partners across the city to ensure that York and the university remain a safe and welcoming place to live, work and visit.
University of York student reaction
Samara Jones, University of York Students’ Union president, said many students were worried by the discovery of the virus amongst their colleagues, but they would support one another.
Jones noted that the University has set up a dedicated helpline on 01904 809571 and tasked students to be more conscious and keep an eye on the university website for any developments and critical information.
The Public Health England (PHE) has also released a statement saying it was making “good progress” in tracing people who have come into close contact with the two Chinese nationals.
The Department of Health said no further positive cases had been confirmed in the UK with 201 people testing negative from 203 tests.
The PHE stated that those who have been in close contact, defined as being within two meters for 15 minutes or more, with the University of York student and his relative would receive health advice.
Professor Sharon Peacock, director of its National Infection Service, said the staff does not currently have “any idea” how many people that might be.
She explained that anyone who falls ill would undergo a test to see whether they, too, have contracted the virus and, if they have, the process of tracing their close contacts will start again.
Increasing death toll of coronavirus
The death toll from the coronavirus, officially known as 2019-nCov, currently stands at 304, with 14,380 infected.
All the deaths recorded within China and the majority 294, were recorded in Hubei province, where the virus originated.
The first death outside of China was confirmed in the Philippines on Sunday, as several countries evacuate its nationals from China and its province Hubei.
As the search for a cure continues, researchers from the Renminbi Hospital of Wuhan University and the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Science have reported that the new strain of coronavirus in China may be spreading from person to person via the digestive system.
According to them, they stated their findings after studying patient stool samples and rectal swabs.
In a related issue, Twitter also banned the financial market website Zero Hedge from the social media platform after it published an article linking a Chinese scientist to the coronavirus outbreak.
Notably, the 1,000-bed field hospital under construction by the military in Wuhan has been completed and handed to health workers, according to the state-run media.
Approved by President Xi Jinping, China's military will dispatch 1,400 medical workers to the newly-built Huoshenshan hospital specialized in treating novel #coronavirus patients in Wuhan. pic.twitter.com/5zl3mT5DzA
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) February 2, 2020
