NHS 111 Coronavirus pods will be created in Lincolnshire and across the country over the next week, where people will be checked for the virus.
NHS hospitals in England were ordered to create secure areas for Coronavirus testing to “avoid a surge in emergency departments” and hospitals were told to create “Coronavirus priority assessment pods”.
Nine people in the UK have now tested positive for the virus known as COVID-19.
NHS 111 pods are now being created over the next week. The NHS is also trialling swabbing in the community with the view to roll out nationally to make the process quicker and easier.
According to the Grimsby Telegraph, a pod has already been set up in Grimsby’s Diana Princess of Wales Hospital. Two Scartho residents who run the local New Diamond takeaway are said to have voluntarily quarantined themselves after spending Chinese New Year in China.
The Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England also said as of February 12 a total of 1,758 people have been tested in the UK.
An NHS spokesperson said: “Anyone returning from Hubei province in the last 14 days should stay indoors, avoid contact with other people and call NHS 111 whether or not they are showing symptoms.
“Anyone with a cough, fever, or shortness of breath who attends hospital and has recently returned from one of the specified countries, will be advised to follow signs to NHS 111 pods and call for advice, so they stay isolated from other patients and avoid causing unnecessary pressure in A&E.”
Advice for travellers
Anyone who has travelled from Wuhan or Hubei Province to the UK in the last 14 days should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people, as well as calling NHS 111 to inform them of their recent travel to the area. This advise should be followed even if you do not have symptoms of the virus.
Travellers who have returned to the UK from China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, Malaysia and Macau in the last 14 days, and develop symptoms of cough or fever or shortness of breath, should follow the same advice.
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Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
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