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UK coronavirus patient attended central London conference alongside more than 200 delegates

Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China.
One of the people being treated for coronavirus in the UK had attended a conference with more than 200 delegates, it has been reported (Picture: PA)

One of UK’s coronavirus patients attended a conference in central London alongside more than 200 delegates, it has been reported.

The unnamed patient attended the UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre in Westminster, which listed about 250 delegates from the nationwide bus and transport industry, on February 6, according to the conference’s organiser.

Transport Times emailed attendees on Thursday afternoon on the instruction of Public Health England (PHE), informing them that a person confirmed to have the virus had been at the event, according to the Financial Times.

“While the degree of contact you may have had with the case at the summit is unlikely to have been significant, we are taking a precautionary approach and informing you,” the letter said.

The email also included a letter from PHE advising delegates to take no action if they’re well, but if they develop symptoms like a fever or cough, to stay indoors, avoid contact with others and call NHS 111.

Covid-19: confirmed cases. See story HEALTH Coronavirus. Infographic PA Graphics
Covid-19: confirmed cases. See story HEALTH Coronavirus. Infographic PA Graphics

It comes after the government advised that flights from China will still be allowed to land in the UK.

It also follows warnings from a coronavirus expert that the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories could lead to more cases in the UK.

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Professor Paul Hunter, of the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) Norwich Medical School, who has previously run tests on the impact of fake news on disease outbreaks, said: “Misinformation means that bad advice can circulate very quickly – and it can change human behaviour to take greater risks.”

He added: “Worryingly, people are more likely to share bad advice on social media, than good advice from trusted sources such as the NHS, Public Health England or the World Health Organisation.”

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said on Thursday that many more people in the UK may need to self-isolate to contain the illness.

The Department of Health said on Thursday that 2,521 people in the UK have been tested, of whom 2,512 were confirmed negative and nine positive.

In China, the number of deaths from coronavirus has reached 1,380, with more than 63,000 recorded infections, in figures announced early on Friday morning.