UK's health minister has said she has been infected with the coronavirus, even as the number of dead in the country rose to six. Nadine Dorries said she is undergoing treatment and has been in self-isolation at home ever since the infection was diagnosed. Dorries is the first UK parliamentarian to be tested positive for the virus.
According to the UK's department of health, Dorries had visited No.10 Downing Street, the residence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the day she started showing symptoms of the virus. Dorries has been in self-isolation since Friday, a day after she showed symptoms.
In a worrying development, it has been revealed that she had attended public events at Downing Street around the time she showed symptoms and that PM Johnson had also attended the events. The number of meetings and events she participated in Westminster and her constituency in the recent days is being ascertained by UK's health officials.
Meanwhile, No 10 Downing Street did not reveal if Johnson would undergo testing for the virus. BBC reported. However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, along with other health ministry officials, will undergo testing for the coronavirus. "I understand why people are worried about this disease. We will do all we can to keep people safe, based on the best possible science," Hancock tweeted.
US cases go past 1,000
In the US, the number of novel coronavirus cases went past 1,000 on Tuesday, while at least 28 people have died of the virus. Experts from Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University said on Tuesday that faulty test kits and poor diagnostic strategy led to the surge in the number of cases. The initial US strategy was to limit testing for only those who had known exposure to the virus. This led to the denial of testing to people who had actually contracted the virus.
NY Governor Andrew Cuomo deploys National Guard troops
Seizing the criticality of the situation, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo deployed National Guard troops on Tuesday to lead efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus in city suburbs. "We're also going to use the National Guard in the containment area to deliver food to homes, to help with the cleaning of public spaces," Cuomo said. There have been 173 confirmed cases in New York state so far.
The situation remains grim in Italy
The situation remained grim in Italy, where the infection claimed as many as 168 people in a single day on Tuesday. It also marked the deadliest day as the number of fatalities reached 631. Italy has by now reported over 10,000 cases.
Read more
