A&E worker at Worthing Hospital revealed as one of UK coronavirus cases as threat reaches prison

A healthcare worker at a hospital in West Sussex is among the eight confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, it has been revealed.

Staff at Worthing Hospital received a memo telling them a member of staff working in the A&E department had been diagnosed with the deadly illness.

It comes after it emerged two prisoners were being tested for coronavirus at HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire.

The men were are reportedly being kept in isolation in their cells and are both suffering flu-like symptoms.

Staff at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex received a memo telling them a member of staff had tested positive for coronavirus
Google

One of the men is understood to have been recently transferred from a Thai jail.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said on Tuesday that all services at the West Sussex hospital, including surgery and out patients, are operating normally.

It is understood the healthcare worker is not the same person as the locum doctor working in Brighton, who is also one of the eight UK cases.

Coronavirus - In pictures

1/80

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.

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson praised the response of the NHS and said anyone concerned should "simply follow their advice".

The Prime Minister said: "We are a great country, we have got a fantastic NHS, we have got fantastic doctors and advice, and they should simply take the advice of the NHS.

"People have every reason to be confident and calm about all that kind of thing... all the coronavirus, and any threats from disease."

It came as 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".

Steve Walsh is still in quarantine at a hospital in the capital

Mr 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 the doctor working at the Brighton surgery.

A source said that the doctor, acting as a locum at County Oak Medical Centre, had only carried out one day of admin work there recently and had not had any direct contact with patients.

The County Oak Medical Centre GP practice in Brighton
PA

A second branch of the surgery also closed, but Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed they would reopen soon following "deep cleaning".

Mr Walsh is also linked to one male patient who was taken ill in Majorca.

Speaking from hospital, Mr 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."

A spokeswoman for the Scout Association said Mr Walsh had not been to any Scout meetings since his return to the UK, and wished him a quick recovery.

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".

Earlier, Professor Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England (PHE), said "contact tracing" run by PHE was "working very well".

He added: "I should say that the people who are of concern are those who have had very close contact with somebody with coronavirus, face-to-face contact or within a two-metre range for 15 minutes or more."

Prof Cosford said PHE was 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.

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.

Earlier, Dr Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, described the outbreak as "a very grave threat for the rest of the world".

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in