‘Sharp rise’ in UK coronavirus cases as two more dead and total explodes to 596

CORONAVIRUS cases in the UK have exploded to 596 today with two more dead as the killer bug rampages through the country.

There are now 140 new infections in Britain's sharpest rise yet - a staggering leap up from yesterday's figure of 456.

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Wales saw six new infections, bringing the final tally to 596.

An 89-year-old woman died after being treated at Charing Cross Hospital, London, and a patient in her sixties succumbed to the virus at Queen's Hospital, Romford, taking the total of British deaths to 10.

Both had underlying health problems and were "very unwell" before catching the infection, the trusts said today.

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, warned "we will see a sharp rise in cases today", and announced mass gatherings may be cancelled from next week.

And this afternoon she revealed the UK has officially shifted from the "contain" phase to a "delay" phase - to try and slow the spread of the virus. 

London's cases are steadily rising, with 136 people being treated for the killer bug in the capital.

Scotland's number of cases almost doubled today, leaping from 36 to 60, as Northern Ireland reported two more patients and Wales saw six more.

As the country ramps ups its efforts to fight the virus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to outline restrictions at a press conference this afternoon.

It means the public could be told to start working from home and to scale back on socialising as the country tries to get a grip on the outbreak.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar this morning confirmed all schools, colleges and childcare facilities in Ireland will be closed until March 29.

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As the number of people who have been infected with coronavirus in the UK rises, with global cases above 100,000, concerns about schools shutting continue to grow.

Experts say the UK is two weeks behind Italy following a trajectory which brought the country to its knees and killed more than 800.

Ms Sturgeon said today no Scottish schools would be allowed to take overseas trips, but schools and universities would remain open for now.

She said: "Closing schools will lead to kids gathering in more informal settings which puts them more at risk.

"If the advice is to close schools, this will not be for a week or two weeks, it would be during the peak of this outbreak and until the summer period - it would not be brief."

She added anyone with symptoms must stay at home for seven days from tomorrow.

Mr Johnson today chaired a Cobra meeting to discuss the country's battle plan for tackling the virus and will speak out this afternoon.

BATTLE PLAN

It means the UK could go into lockdown in a matter of weeks - with it thought we may move into the delay phase today.

Care homes could place extra restrictions on visitors to protect the elderly, who are most likely to die from the killer bug.

And any Brit with a cold, cough, sniffle or fever could be told to stay at home for a week to help halt the spread of the infection.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global pandemic as 126,000 people have been diagnosed with the killer bug across 114 countries.

More than 4,600 people have died - around 3,000 of them in China - after contracting COVID-19 across the globe.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the medical body has "rung the alarm bell loud and clear".

VIRUS LOCKDOWN

Ireland's move put pressure on Mr Johnson to announce similar school closures and bans on public events over here, but the PM's spokesman later appeared to rule out adopting the Republic's new measures across the border in Northern Ireland for now.

Under Ireland's lockdown, meetings and teaching should be done remotely, but shops, cafes and restaurants will remain open, but should practise social distancing.

Public transport will continue to operate, with airports and ports open, but people arriving into Ireland will be advised on what to do if they have symptoms of the virus.

It came just hours after Denmark became the second European country to go into a total lockdown after Italy's draconian measures.

The Scandinavian country will shut all schools and universities and tell all employees with non-critical jobs to work from home.

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Overnight Donald Trump banned all flights in and out of the US from Europe, starting tomorrow.

The Chancellor said there are no plans for the UK to follow suit with such draconian measures at the moment - even as experts warn it's only a matter of time before the virus spreads widely here.

In a thinly veiled swipe against the US President, he told Radio 4 this morning: "The advice we’re getting is that there isn’t evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans are going to have a material effect on the spread of the infection.

"We are always guided by the science as we make our decisions."

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