well the peak of the corona virus
outbreak in the UK could be a couple of
months away according to the health
secretary Matt Hancock he confirmed that
Parliament would remain open
despite the Health Minister Nadine door
is testing positive of the virus and two
more ministers including member of the
cabinet deciding to isolate themselves
today earlier the World Health
Organization confirmed that the corona
virus outbreak is a pandemic spreading
in multiple countries at the same time
456 people are now confirmed to have the
virus here in the UK more than 27,000
people have been formally tested and
that operation is set to be extended
with the number of people being tested
expanding from 1500 a day to some 10,000
a day our health editor Hugh pen has
been to visit one of the Centers
processing the samples in central London
coronavirus testing is already underway
at this laboratory run by Northwest
London pathology services part of a
major expansion of testing in England
bringing in hospital labs to help cope
with an expected rise in the caseload
there was one more added to the number
with news the Health Minister Nadine
Doris had tested positive
the first MP to contract the virus the
government says Parliament will remain
open
officials are tracing her recent
contacts a member of her staff has
tested positive there'll be a
significant increase in testing capacity
using hospital labs like this public
health officials say the tests are not
for anyone who might feel they're ill
they're specifically targeted at those
seen to be most at risk and only after
decisions made by NHS one-one-one or
doctors so how does contact tracing work
if a person tests positive for the virus
public health officials identify their
close contacts in recent days they're
looking for people who've spent at least
15 minutes at a distance of less than 2
meters then they decide who's low risk
and who's high risk depending partly on
their age and underlying health low risk
individuals take no action while those
at high risk stay at home for 14 days
and if they have symptoms call
one-one-one it's often a family member's
because obviously you're living very
closely together
family members will be contact raised in
different situations that'll be people
that you've been very close to that you
maybe had a close conversation with that
your that's when you're most likely to
have been infected travel insurance has
been hit
Elvie said it was temporarily halting
sales of new policies after travelers
scrambled to try to protect themselves
against canceled holidays or being stuck
abroad two other companies have
restricted cover and the coronavirus
case in a Hampshire care home has been
confirmed the council said the were
rigorous infection control procedures
it's another reminder of the challenges
with controlling kovat 19q PIM
BBC News well in Italy which is Europe's
worst affected country spending has also
been increased to help the economy cope
with the impact of coronavirus the Prime
Minister Giuseppe Conte has also
announced the tightening of restrictions
including the closure of all stores
except for pharmacies and food shops
some workplaces including those
essential for production will remain
open tourists and visitors can currently
leave but for Italian residents only
those with serious work or family
reasons will be allowed to travel twelve
and a half thousand people in Italy now
have the virus the number of fatalities
has jumped by nearly two hundred to
eight hundred and twenty seven our
correspondent mark Lawrence sent us this
latest report from Rome connecting the
epicenters a doctor in wuhan and those
in Europe's equivalent northern Italy
colleagues in crisis sharing the
know-how we reached that Italian doctor
on the right in his hospital the first
to diagnose coronavirus here it hit like
a bomb but has kept on exploding 50 60
70 until 200 patient in our emergency
department and we had some showers where
the oxygen supply sockets were
unsophisticated the patient so we were
in a sort of let me say
war scenarios but in his town it may
have peaked with no cases there in the
past day it could be a sign of
containment working we are on the right
pathway so I think my confident that
this could be the right way to rock but
the rest of Italy is days behind and the
virus is still surging Rome is quiet
with limits on movement under new
restrictions announced tonight companies
must close departments not needed for
production and all shops except for food
stores or pharmacies will be shut you
can see here how the measures are
affecting daily life pharmacies are only
allowing customers in one at a time at
the next door cafes tables must be a
meter apart they will close at 6:00 p.m.
if you come over here you can see the
children's playground over there is
closed as our schools universities
cinemas theaters and so many other
venues several airlines have stopped
flights in or out a concern for Brenda
and Andrew Samuels booked to travel to
Manchester tomorrow their hotel here is
shutting on Friday for lack of customers
worried about the disease we're taking
all precautions that we can and bought
we're worried about going home whether
we will police have a new target
traffickers have hand gel and face masks
cracking a ring that tried to make a
huge profit like prized drugs in these
dystopian times mark Lowe in BBC News
Rome well still with the coronavirus
crisis in South Korea a network of
nearly a hundred laboratories has been
set up and tests done on more people per
capita than anywhere else in the world
our Seoul correspondent Laura Baker has
had exclusive access to one of the super
labs where thousands of tests are being
conducted every day
getting critical patients to hospital is
a race against time they have to be
tracked and tested quickly so in this
battle to contain the contagion these
labs have become the frontline we are
not going to go into this room this is
nowhere this is where the samples are
being opened and prepared their testing
up to 20,000 people a day more than any
other country in the world a lesson
learned from bitter experience with
previous infectious diseases so is this
the busiest you've ever been yes this is
not my busiest say the computer program
can tell whether the sample is positive
or negative for the virus how long does
the process take the whole process takes
about five to six hours so it's quite
quick I think it's quite quick
scientists believe early testing and
early treatment could be why fewer
people are dying here makeshift clinics
such as this one are set up to combat
mass infections nearly a hundred staff
at this building in Seoul contracted
covet 19 now everyone who works here
will be tested there's no shortage of
kits they were mass-produced to prepare
for this outbreak the blood of recovered
patients like mr. Lee is also being
monitored in the hope of finding
antibodies and potentially a vaccine Lee
told me he had almost no symptoms just a
little cough it's really important to be
cautious and safe but I wish people
would have less fear of the virus itself
but I also know those who are older need
to be careful
while they appear to be containing this
outbreak for now we know that with
coronavirus there's no room for
complacency Laura Becker BBC News so in
another development today the World
Health Organization said it now regarded
coronavirus as a worldwide pandemic and
tomorrow the UK government will set up
more of the measures that it is
considering taking our health editor Huw
Pym is with me so let's take stock you
where are we tonight well here the WHI
move I think is just official
recognition of what's been known for a
little while now that this virus is
spreading rapidly in many countries the
WTO says it's deeply concerned about the
low level of action in some countries
and has called for much more concerted
international activity to tackle the
virus so what does it mean for the UK
government not a lot in practice but I
think it gives them the cue if they wish
to move to the next phase of the action
plan and I think we will learn more
about that tomorrow the Prime Minister
Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of
the kobra committee then I think we'll
get more guidance to people on how to
self isolate if they feel ill maybe more
guidance to older people on whether they
should leave home and all this at a time
when the Health Department is pretty
depleted Nadine Doris as we've heard is
recovering with the virus her colleague
Edie agar has gone into self isolation
tonight on the advice of health
officials so - a cabinet minister
because of meetings with Nadine Doris
Cube many thanks again for the update
you pindar have faster