LONDON 2 Mar (ANA) - Widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK is now "highly likely", Public Health England (PHE) has said.

 

Medical Director Prof Paul Cosford said the country must be prepared.

 

The prime minister will chair a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee later, after the number of UK coronavirus cases jumped to 36.

 

Senior ministers and health advisers will be told that the virus will present a "significant challenge".

 

The official government plan on how to tackle the spread of the virus will be finalised and signed off at the talks.

 

Boris Johnson will say the NHS is well-prepared and the government will "stop at nothing" to fight the virus.

 

Prof Cosford said the extent of infection in other countries suggested the UK needed to prepare for more widespread infection.

 

"We should expect that might be quite challenging for us, it is therefore very important that we do everything we can to reduce the spread of infection," he said.

 

It comes after 13 new patients were diagnosed on Sunday.

 

The latest cases included 12 more in England and the first patient in Scotland, meaning the virus has now reached all four parts of the UK.

 

A health worker at an NHS cancer centre in Middlesex is also among the new cases.

 

Three of the new cases in England were linked to a man from Surrey, who was the first patient to not have been abroad recently and was instead infected within the UK.

 

Meanwhile, more British holidaymakers stuck in a quarantined hotel in Tenerife are preparing to return home once they test negative for the virus.

 

Around 25 Britons have already left the hotel, but 150 others are now in their seventh day at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace after a group of Italians contracted the virus - and are awaiting test results before they can arrange flights.

 

Once home, they must isolate themselves until the original quarantine period ends on 9 March.(ANA)

FA/ANA/2 March 2020-------