Coronavirus outbreak: Britain confirms 13 new cases, total surpasses 35

Amid coronavirus outbreak, the British officials have reported 13 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of infection to 36. According to international media reports, among the new cases, twelve people were from England and one in Scotland. The Scottish government reportedly said that the patient, who is a Tayside resident, was under treatment in isolation at a hospital. 

The British health authorities said that the three of the new coronavirus cases in England are linked to a man from Surrey, who was the first to have contracted the deadly disease within UK. The health authorities further reported that another eight patient had recently travelled back from affected countries, six from Italy and two from Iran. Furthermore, another patient, who is a resident of Essex, had no 'relevant travel' and it is unclear how the patient contracted the virus. 

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Boris Johnson to chair a meeting

As per the reports, a meeting is expected to take place on Monday by the government's emergency response committee which will be chaired by British PM Boris Johnson. The move signifies stepping up Britain's preparations for the deadly outbreak which originated in China and has already claimed more than 3000 lives worldwide.

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The Health Minister of UK Matt Hancock told British media that they have their own strategy to contain the spread of the virus which is a challenging task. He added that the UK Health Ministry is making plans in case the situation gets worse. According to reports, if the government finds the virus spreading rapidly, it has decided to let retired health workers register to work again and it will encourage people to work at home.

First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across more than 50 countries since December 2019. According to reports, the death toll in China has also surpassed 2,900 and the National Health Commission also confirmed 202 new cases. The total number of confirmed cases within China has reportedly hit 80,000 and more than 88,000 worldwide. 

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