Coronavirus: 100,000 ‘may already be infected’
Public health expert says UK will get a case ‘sooner or later’
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Many tens of thousands of people worldwide may already be infected with the coronavirus, a public health expert has warned.
Although there are only 2,000 confirmed cases, mostly in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Imperial College’s Professor Neil Ferguson told The Guardian that his “best guess” was that around 100,000 people are carrying the virus so far.
Ferguson, whose team have been modelling the Sars-like virus for the World Health Organization (WHO), said the number could be as high as 200,000 - and that the UK is all but certain to join the growing number of countries confirming cases of infection.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Sooner or later we will get a case,” he said. “There are very large numbers of Chinese tourists across Europe right now. Unless the Chinese manage to control this, and I’m sceptical about whether that is possible, we will get cases here.”
The UK government has been accused of failing to respond to the danger quickly enough, but Home Secretary Priti Patel insisted yesterday that officials were taking “all precautions”.
Labour is calling on the Government to reassure the public that the NHS could cope with an outbreak.
Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said: “The NHS is currently under immense strain this winter with staff already working flat out and hospitals overcrowded. We need urgent reassurance from ministers they have a plan to ensure we have capacity in place to deal with coronavirus should we need to.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Questions are also being raised over whether the Government will evacuate the estimated 200 Brits trapped in Wuhan, where the first case of the virus was reported in mid December. France, the US and Japan are already putting in place plans to get their citizens out, but Patel would only say that the UK authorities are “looking at all the options”.
A British expatriate living in Wuhan with his wife and four-week-old baby told The Times that he had yet to hear from the UK government. Adam Bridgeman said: “The French are organising some sort of bus service to get you out of Hubei province. But as far as I’m aware the British government isn’t doing anything like that. I haven’t had any contact from them - I would’ve expected some kind of email.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military