The United Kingdom’s Conservative MP, currently serving as the Health Minister Miss Nadine Dorries has tested positive for coronavirus.
This comes after the death of the sixth person in the UK from the virus; the country has a total of 382 confirmed cases.
The latest death from the virus was of an old man in his early eighties, who also had underlying medical conditions. Dorries said that she had taken all the precautions after testing positive and has been self-isolating at her home.
The MP for Bedfordshire, who is the first MP to test positive, said that the public health is busy tracing people who had contact with her. The department she worked in, and her parliamentary office are closely paying attention to its advice.
Health Secretary Matt and all other health officials who met the MP are to undergo the testing.
It is not known how many meeting Dorries attended in her constituency and west minister. However, the Department of Health said that she showed symptoms on Thursday during a meeting in 10 downing street with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
However, the officials have no immediate comment about whether the PM has to undergone testing.
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Miss Dorries also added that her 84-year-old mother has been with her, and she is worried about her health. Her mother began to cough on Tuesday.
The UK government is set to announce its first budget later, amid growing fears that the coronavirus will harm the economic growth and stability.
NHS and the Virus
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that the NHS will get all the resources it needs to tackle the crisis. He is also expected to announce measures to boost small businesses and self-employment.
The NHS also said that it is also working on scaling up the capacity to test people for the virus.
Currently, Public Health England can test 1500 people daily and has carried out a total of 25,000 tests across England. However, it set to expand its capacity to test the number of people in a single day to 10,000.
It is expected that the confirmation of positive tests will accelerate, with most people getting back their results within a day.
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are expected to roll out their testing services, but depending on the needs, there will be some sharing capacity between the nations.
Cases of Coronavirus in the UK
A total of 324 cases in the UK, 26 in Northern Island, 27 in Scotland, and 15 in Wales. The highest infected is London, with 91 reported cases.
The UK foreign office has restricted its citizens, to travel unnecessary, especially to Italy. Only essential travel is allowed, albeit if they give justification to the authorities and convince them.
Italy is experiencing the worst outbreak after China, where the infected originated.
British Airways has suspended all flights going to Itlay until April 4. Other airlines have also suspended their flights, though some will fly for rescue missions to bring British travelers home.
The government says it has the capacity and facility to accommodate Italian citizens in the UK to take self-isolation.
