Coronavirus – Infected student sparks fear among 22,000 students and staff at University of York
ONE of Britain’s leading universities was last night caught up in the coronavirus crisis after it emerged a UK victim was a student there.
The revelation sparked terror among nearly 22,000 other students and staff at the University of York.
They were worried they could catch the killer coronavirus, despite health officials dismissing the threat of spread of infection as low risk.
Students said they were angry that they had not been told sooner.
Some of them wore surgical-style masks on campus in the hope they would protect them.
The stricken student, and another member of their family, tested positive for the virus — which has killed 259 people in China — on Friday.
They had been taken ill at a hotel in York.
There was speculation that the patients had flown back from China for the university’s winter graduation ceremony, which took place on January 23 and 24.
They are being treated at an infectious diseases unit at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
The university has around 18,000 students and 3,800 staff.
Posters were displayed around the complex urging anybody who had been to the Chinese city of Wuhan — the epicentre of the outbreak — in the last 14 days to stay inside and contact the NHS on 111 for advice.
A source said: “It’s made people quite angry and worried.
‘NO RISKS CAN BE TAKEN’
“This is a massive global problem that’s cost the lives of hundreds of people and the way they have handled it feels quite downbeat. I thought there would be more action.
“We should have been told they were a student sooner. People are terrified.
“Surely every possible precaution needs to be taken. This student is one of the first two cases in the UK. No risks can be taken.”
A spokesman for the university said: “We understand this development will cause concern and anxiety among our students, staff and the wider community.
“Public Health England advised us that the risk of infection being passed to others on campus is low.
“Current information from PHE suggests the student did not come into contact with anybody on campus whilst they had symptoms, but investigations are ongoing to fully establish this.
“Our immediate concerns are for the affected student and family, along with the health and continued wellbeing of our staff, students and visitors.”
The pair who have the virus are thought to have arrived in York last week and left the city briefly before checking into a Staycity self-catering apartment at a £49-a-night hotel on Monday.
Since the announcement, some guests have left, demanded refunds and questioned why it was open.
Other hotels in the city were even accused of cashing-in after hiking their prices as the demand for rooms increased.
A couple from Newcastle were among the guests who had decided not to stay.
They were marking the woman’s 37th birthday with the weekend trip but had chosen to return home a day early.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “All the other hotels seem to have bumped up their prices and everywhere is £150 to £200 for the night.”
Her partner added: “We got here at 11am Friday and nobody mentioned anything to us.
“The first we were aware of the problem was when we came back to the hotel at 1am.
“The manager was outside grabbing people as they went in to let them know.”
PHE said it was continuing to try to trace people who had close contact — defined as being within two metres of the infected person for 15 minutes — with the pair.
It comes as 83 Britons evacuated from China on Friday began two weeks in quarantine.
They were immediately taken by bus to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, after being flown out of Wuhan.
One of the passengers was a three-year-old girl who had been staying with her grandparents in Wuhan while her parents were in the UK.
Ads blitz to tackle bug
THE public must “play their part” to help slow the virus’ spread, ministers warn.
Today the Government is launching ads on radio, newspapers and social media to reduce the impact on the NHS.
The campaign is similar to the Catch it, Bin it, Kill it message used to beat flu and norovirus — urging people to regularly wash their hands, sneeze into tissues and bin them.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “We can all play our part. Basic hygiene can play an important role in minimising the spread of viruses like this.”
She was cared for on the flight by staff from the Foreign Office.
Matt Raw, one of the Brits in quarantine, revealed he and others at the nurses’ accommodation block in Wirral can go outside “for fresh air” — adding they were treated to “anything we ask for”.
He said: “There is an army of people here who are looking after us extremely well.”
Quarantined sports teacher Kharn Lambert 31, waved from a window on a stairway at the accommodation block.
Bizarrely, bosses at Bournemouth Football Club could be seen wearing club-branded face masks while watching their team beat Aston Villa 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
The number of Chinese students at UK universities has soared in recent years, and they are of increasing importance to the nation’s higher education system.
In 2018/19, China sent more students to study at UK institutions than any other overseas country, according to data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
A first-year music performance student was one of those wearing a mask at the York uni yesterday.
Lin Chen, 26, from Guangzhou, China, said: “I think it’s quite dangerous when people touch or speak to each other at the moment so I think it important to wear a mask.
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“I bought mine a couple of weeks ago online. It is better to be safe than to be sorry.”
Another student, 22, said: “We’ve not had many details from the university. We don’t really know what’s going on.
“I live on the campus and it’s a worry. We’re seeing people walk around with masks and it’s a massive concern.”
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