Coronavirus: Two patients in Scotland given all-clear

Two of the five patients in Scotland tested for Chinese coronavirus have been given the all-clear.

Another nine people across the UK have also tested negative, the chief medical officer for England announced on Friday.

Although the risk to the UK public “remains low”, there could be cases in the country “at some stage”.

The UK Government’s Cobra emergency committee met at midday to discuss the potential threat, while an incident team was also set up in Scotland to monitor the situation.

The Scottish Government confirmed on Thursday that five people were being tested after presenting with symptoms of the illness.

On Friday, Scotland’s chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood said: “Scotland is well prepared for these types of outbreaks – we have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and the UK was one of the first countries in the world to develop a test for the new virus.

“I am being kept fully informed about the precautionary steps being taken, including timely updates on the patients who are currently being tested.”

Two of those were diagnosed with flu after travelling to Wuhan in China – the origin of the global outbreak.

The official death toll in China has risen to 26 with more than 830 confirmed cases.

A public health hub will be set up at Heathrow Airport and will consist of clinicians and other health officials.

Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said: “I am working closely with the other UK chief medical officers.

“We all agree that the risk to the UK public remains low, but there may well be cases in the UK at some stage.

“We have tried and tested measures in place to respond. The UK is well-prepared for these types of incidents, with excellent readiness against infectious diseases.

“We have global experts monitoring the situation around the clock and have a strong track record of managing new forms of infectious disease.

“The UK has access to some of the best infectious disease and public health experts in the world.

“A public health hub will be set up in Heathrow from today. This consists of clinicians and other public health officials, in addition to existing port health measures.”