A man in his 80s became the sixth person infected with the new coronavirus to die in the U.K. on March 10, as the country announced 373 cases have been confirmed. COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, has killed more than 4,300 people and sickened more than 121,000 globally. It has been declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” by the World Health Organization. Here’s what to know about the situation in the U.K., and how the government is responding to the outbreak.
How many COVID-19 cases does the U.K. have now?
According to data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering on Tuesday, March 10, there have been 382 cases of the disease in the U.K. The majority of cases have been in England, although Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have all confirmed multiple cases.
The first cases in the U.K. were confirmed at the end of January. They were reported in the northern city of York, where two Chinese nationals tested positive for the coronavirus on January 29. On March 5, a woman with underlying health conditions became the first person in the U.K. to die from the disease after testing positive for the coronavirus.
March 10 marked the second largest day-on-day increase in the country since the outbreak was first reported. Nadine Dorries, an elected member of parliament and a health minister, confirmed that she had tested positive for coronavirus the same day. After first reporting feeling ill last Friday, the minister carried out her busy schedule and met hundreds of people.
Where in the U.K. has the most cases?
Government figures suggest that London has the highest number of confirmed cases in England, at 91 as of March 10. The city’s financial hub in Canary Wharf was affected last week, as HSBC evacuated a floor of its office tower after an employee tested positive for the virus. Hertfordshire, Devon and Hampshire also have high concentrations of confirmed cases.
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How bad could the U.K.’s coronavirus outbreak get?
As data is still emerging about this new disease, it’s unclear exactly what the impact will be. According to the government’s coronavirus action plan, “in a stretching scenario, it is possible that up to one-fifth of employees may be absent from work during peak weeks.” The government also said it is more likely than not that the U.K. will be significantly affected, as current data indicates that everyone is susceptible to catching the disease.
Professor Francois Balloux, of the University College London Genetics Institute, said on March 10 that the progress of COVID-19 in the U.K. is “so far roughly comparable to the one in northern Italy, but with the epidemic in northern Italy two to three weeks ahead of the situation in the U.K.” On Monday, Italy placed its 60 million residents under lockdown as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rose to the highest number of cases and deaths outside of China.
How is the U.K. government preparing?
The U.K. government’s focus has been on containing and delaying the spread of the virus. This involves tracing people who had contact with those diagnosed with COVID-19 and getting them to self-isolate. The BBC reports there are 30 hospitals on stand-by to take patients, and the rest of the NHS has been put on emergency footing. All patients who have flu-like symptoms are now being tested. Last week, a survey found that more than 99% of medics thought that the NHS was not well prepared for the coronavirus outbreak.
A range of other measures, including school closures, restrictions on public transport, stopping big gatherings and using new legal powers to make people stay in quarantine are at the government’s disposal, but these measures have not been taken so far. England’s deputy chief medical officer said that cancelling big outdoor events would not be a decision supported by science. While Dr Jenny Harries said that the virus will not survive long outside and that outdoor events are “relatively safe,” a recent editorial in The Lancet medical journal noted that the situation in China indicates “that quarantine, social distancing and isolation of infected populations can contain the epidemic.”
At a press conference on Monday, Boris Johnson was asked why he hasn’t followed the lead of other European countries by banning mass gatherings. “What’s happening in other countries doesn’t necessarily mirror what’s happening here in the U.K. and that is why we’re following the scientific evidence in the way that we are,” the Prime Minister said. Johnson suggested that elderly and vulnerable people could be asked to stay at home in the near future as the government tries to delay the peak of the outbreak to the summer, when the NHS will be be better able to manage.
After health minister Dorries was diagnosed on Monday, Johnson’s team of advisers said there was no need to test the Prime Minister for the coronavirus, as he had not been in close contact with Dorries and regularly washes his hands, Bloomberg reports. Johnson’s government is reportedly working with a behavioral psychology team to emphasize hand-washing among the British population. So far, Johnson’s response to the virus has been criticized for being more relaxed compared to efforts around the world, including in other parts of Europe.
How could the coronavirus outbreak disrupt daily life in Britain?
The British Medical Association said that primary care physicians (widely called GPs in the U.K.) may have to stop carrying out routine health checks, assessing blood pressure, diabetic control and monitoring long term heart and lung disease, in order to “focus on the sickest patients” amid the outbreak. Dr Richard Vautrey, chair of the BMA’s GP committee, told the BBC that patients with mild health complaints should expect to wait longer to see their GP, and that cases of coronavirus were expected to “rise rapidly and over the coming weeks.”
Reports suggest consumers are panic buying and emptying shelves of everyday items including toilet roll and hand sanitizer amid the outbreak. Some shops have introduced sales restrictions on certain items, including pasta and tinned vegetables.
How could COVID-19 affect the U.K.’s economy post-Brexit?
Amid the outbreak on March 11, the Bank of England cut U.K. interest rates to the lowest level in the Bank’s 325-year history, from 0.75% to 0.25%. Mark Carney, the outgoing governor of the Bank of England, said that economic damage caused by COVID-19 was as yet unclear, but suggested that the U.K. economy could shrink in the coming months. The U.K. economy failed to grow in January even before the growth of the outbreak in Europe, adding to the case for the emergency cut.
The same day, Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered the 2020 U.K. budget, opening by saying he expects the coronavirus to have a “significant impact” on the U.K. economy. Sunak also said that the government will give the National Health Service “whatever extra resources our NHS needs to cope with COVID-19,” will also introduce a loan scheme to support small and medium sized businesses, and will extend sick pay for some workers. Overall, he announced a £30 billion ($39 billion) stimulus to support the economy through the outbreak.
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