(Photo: Christopher Black/WHO/Third party image/Handout via REUTERS)
Over 12 people in the United Kingdom have been tested for coronavirus, as authorities warned of an "increased likelihood" of cases occurring, the Public Health England disclosed, Thursday night.
In Edinburgh, three people are being tested for the virus, and a fourth possible case is reported to be in Glasgow. If confirmed, these may become the first known cases of the dreaded new virus that has recently emerged in Wuhan, China.
Scottish authorities had earlier confirmed that five people were being tested after showing symptoms of the sickness, while another patient was reportedly being examined at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. The PHE has declined to give further details of where the patients were examined and where the negative results were recorded.
The four suspected cases in the United Kingdom are believed to all be of Chinese descent. One of the patients is a student at the University of Edinburgh.
According to the university's Infection Medicine chief Jürgen Haas, the situation is "pretty similar in all UK cities that have a large number of Chinese students." Haas added that the cases is not very alarming but suspects that that likelihood of more cases will emerge in "many other cities in the UK."
However, the World Health Organization on Thursday disclosed it was premature to declare an "international public health crisis" over the pandemic.
Health minister Matt Hancock, in a statement he delivered before the UK Parliament on Thursday, said there is an "increased possibility" of cases of the Wuhan virus spreading in the UK, but health risk to the public is low.
Hancock pointed out that the UK's chief medical officer has confirmed the UK is well equipped to deal with any cases that may arise in the region.
As this developed, universities that have connections with China have issued warnings to personnel and students traveling to and from areas affected by the virus. Nine academic institutions in the UK have links with Wuhan University in Hubei Province in central China, where the outbreak was first reported.
UK officials have advised against traveling to Wuhan, which Chinese authorities have now placed under lockdown. While the UK has implemented measures to monitor passengers arriving from Wuhan, the Chinese government has halted flights out of the city.
Meanwhile, the Chinese National Health Commission on Friday confirmed 25 have already died from the virus, with 830 cases of infections confirmed in China as of January 23.
