A SIXTH person suspected of having coronavirus in Scotland has been given the all-clear, the Scottish Government have confirmed.
On Thursday, five patients were confirmed as being tested for the infection, but ministers announced they had been given the all-clear on Friday. It was revealed over the weekend that an additional person had also tested negative for the virus.
Four of the six people tested in Scotland were Chinese nationals.
According to the BBC, one was a Chinese student who became unwell after visiting family in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. He was treated in Edinburgh. It is unclear where the other patients were treated.
READ MORE: What is coronavirus and how dangerous is it?
Health Protection Scotland has urged travellers returning from Wuhan who become unwell within a fortnight from a sore throat, cough or breathing difficulties to call their GP or NHS 24.
In total, more than 50 people have now been tested for coronavirus in the UK, according to the Department of Health, although all tests have returned negative.
As of yesterday afternoon, some 52 people across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had been tested for the deadly flu-like virus.
The current risk to the public remains low, the department said, adding that the UK Government is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Britons trapped in the Chinese province at the centre of the outbreak have been urged to leave the area if they are able to do so.
The Foreign Office updated its guidance to “advise against all travel to Hubei province”, which has been on lockdown for several days as China seeks to contain the illness.
But the guidance also added: “If you are in this area and able to leave, you should do so. This is due to the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the UK Government was “looking at all options” to help Britons leave Wuhan following reports that officials have been asked to examine the logistics for an airlift from the city.
Meanwhile, health officials are continuing to track down around 2000 people who have recently flown into the UK from Wuhan, the area of China worst affected by the outbreak.
The DoH confirmed it is trying to find “as many passengers as we can” who arrived from the region in the past two weeks to check on their wellbeing.
It is understood Border Force officers have been recruited to help speed up the search for passengers as testing for the virus continues in the UK.
A public health hub has been set up in Heathrow, staffed by a rotating team of seven clinicians working in shifts to support patients on arrival.
England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said there was a “fair chance” cases would emerge in Britain as the overall number reported around the world climbed to around 2000 including 56 deaths, which have all occurred in China.
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