At an emergency meeting on March 12 in London with the Government's medical and scientific advisors, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Covid-19 epidemic was "the worst health crisis in a generation".
"Some people compare it to seasonal flu. That's not true. Because of the lack of immunity, this disease is more dangerous. It will spread further and I need to warn the British public that many families may lose loved ones to the epidemic," the British Prime Minister stressed.
Meanwhile, Dr. Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser to the British Government, said that the actual number of people infected with nCoV in the country could fluctuate between 5,000 and 10,000 and the situation in the UK is only 4 weeks behind Italy - the country currently ranked second in the world in the number of nCoV infections.
Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer and chief government adviser, said the country needs to prepare for a worst-case scenario where about 80% of the population is infected with nCoV, with a 1% mortality rate, meaning more than 500,000 people die.
The actual number of people infected with nCoV in the UK may fluctuate between 5,000 and 10,000 people.
Johnson has now announced a series of measures to combat Covid-19, including banning students from going abroad and preventing the elderly and vulnerable from boarding cruise ships. He has asked families to self-isolate if a family member is sick. Johnson also said that schools will not be closed, and events of more than 500 people will not be banned, but large events may be cancelled. Health workers will not visit patients' homes to test for Covid-19, but will test them when they arrive at the hospital.
The British Prime Minister also said that the next few weeks could be the most dangerous period of Covid-19 in the country, and explained that the Government's immediate "delay" measures were to strengthen its ability to respond to the epidemic.
The British government said medical staff will not visit patients' homes to test for nCoV.
The information was released in the context of the UK recording 590 cases of Covid-19 infection with 12 deaths (including 2 deaths abroad). In Vietnam, many international tourists infected with Covid-19 recently discovered also have British nationality. Patient No. 17 of Vietnam and his sister both showed the first symptoms of the disease while in the UK. Patient No. 45, a flight attendant, was discovered to be carrying the disease after flight VN54 returning from the capital of this country. On March 12, the husband of the Canadian Prime Minister also tested positive for Covid-19 after attending an event in the UK on March 9.
