Eight-month-old baby boy becomes Britain’s youngest suspected coronavirus case

An eight-month-old boy is the youngest Briton feared to have coronavirus after being treated by one of Brighton’s infected GPs, it was revealed today.

The baby has ‘all the symptoms’ associated with the virus and the family feel they are living ‘in hell’ because his four-year-old sister may also have been exposed, his father has said.

The unnamed child was treated by one of two Brighton GPs who tested positive for coronavirus after treating dozens of people in the city last week and is in quarantine today.

The family, including the boy’s mother, were taken to Worthing A&E by paramedics in full hazmat suits yesterday for tests, with results expected on Friday. 

The eight-month-old boy’s father told The Daily Telegraph his son has ‘all the symptoms’, adding: ‘We’re in hell’. 

An eight-year-old baby was rushed to Worthing A&E by paramedics in full hazmat suits after being treated by a GP infected with coronavirus and developing flu-like symptoms

London Underground could become hotbed for the spread of coronavirus after city’s first confirmed case

Doctors have warned the London Underground could be a hotbed for the spread of the strain of coronavirus known as Covid-19.

The warning comes after a London woman became the ninth person in the UK to test positive for the deadly virus.

There are concerns the city’s status as a transport hub could exacerbate the spread of the virus, however doctors have said the risk of infection for residents in the capital remains low.

‘In general, if an initial case is in a densely populated area, then the risk of sustained person-to-person transmission following is higher,’ Dr Robin Thompson of Oxford University said.

‘This is exacerbated by the fact that London is a transport hub, and the underground could provide a network to spread the virus quickly.

‘As a result, given this case was in London, it might be expected that there is an increased risk posed by this case compared to the others we have seen.’

He said: ‘My little boy has haemophilia and a lung condition, so he’s already poorly. My ex-partner took him in to get checked out last Tuesday. We took him back yesterday morning, and as we arrived home at about 1pm we got a call from Worthing A&E.

‘They said both my son and his mum had been in direct contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus, and told us to stay at home.’

He said both his children have ‘flu-like symptoms, everything associated with the virus’. 

It came as the first case of the killer coronavirus has been confirmed in London, bringing the total cases in the UK to nine.

The latest victim, a woman, was diagnosed this afternoon and is currently being treated for the illness at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in south London.

She is thought to have flown into the UK from China a few days ago, with officials confirming she caught the virus in China. 

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England confirmed the case: ‘One further patient in England has tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of cases in the UK to nine.

‘This virus was passed on in China and the patient has now been transferred to a specialist NHS centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London.’

The case could trigger panic in the capital, with public health officials expected to try and hunt down anyone the infected person may have been in contact with. 

The woman is being treated at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital (pictured) in London and is the first case of coronavirus in the capital

The woman is being treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital (pictured) in London and is the first case of coronavirus in the capital

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier this week that the coronavirus outbreak is a ‘serious and imminent’ threat to the British public. 

The latest case comes as all 83 people being held in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral were declared free of the virus.

They will be able to leave their accommodation on Thursday morning. 

The detainees – who were being kept in a block of apartments – have all been tested and found not to have the virus.

Five coaches – carrying the 83 Britons who were on board the Wamos Air Boeing 747 on January 31 – were escorted into the Merseyside hospital by five police officers on motorbikes. 

A worker cleaning the floor of the pharmacy attached to the The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton

A worker cleaning the floor of the pharmacy attached to the The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton

Pictured: A block of apartments in Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, where Britons are being quarantined

Pictured: A block of apartments in Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, where Britons are being quarantined

Schools, doctors' surgeries, a community centre, a pub and a care home have all been disrupted by the six confirmed cases of coronavirus in Brighton

Schools, doctors’ surgeries, a community centre, a pub and a care home have all been disrupted by the six confirmed cases of coronavirus in Brighton

Pictured: A woman in a protective suit on a coach containing British citizens flown out of Wuhan arrives at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral on January 31

Pictured: A woman in a protective suit on a coach containing British citizens flown out of Wuhan arrives at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral on January 31

A medical worker wearing a full hazmat suit can be seen in the bus next to a driver - wearing no protective gear - while the British evacuees from Wuhan sit in the back

A medical worker wearing a full hazmat suit can be seen in the bus next to a driver – wearing no protective gear – while the British evacuees from Wuhan sit in the back

Earlier, two British prisoners including a ‘drug dealer’ who were sent home from Thailand were found not to have coronavirus. 

Mark Rumble, 31, from Oxfordshire, was sent to HMP Bullingdon, close to Bicester, on January 27 and faces a series of charges of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs. He is due in court later this month and is expected to deny the charges. 

Thailand’s ministry claimed Mr Rumble had no symptoms of the never-before-seen virus when he was tested before flying back to the UK. 

Mark Rumble (right), 31, from Oxfordshire, is pictured with boxing legend Ricky Hatton in Thailand

Mark Rumble (right), 31, from Oxfordshire, is pictured with boxing legend Ricky Hatton in Thailand

Results from Rumble and another inmate at HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire have come back clear

Results from Rumble and another inmate at HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire have come back clear 

And it said he passed all of the standard health checks prisoners go through before they are extradited, claiming he wouldn’t have been allowed to travel had he failed. 

Officials in Thailand, the first country outside of China to record a case on January 13, claim there have been no cases among the 300,000 prisoners in the country. 

And they told Sky News he has been in the UK for at least 16 days, meaning he had passed the accepted 14-day incubation period if he caught it in Thailand.

Mr Rumble reportedly collapsed in his cell at HMP Bullingdon on Monday. A second inmate developed flu-like symptoms and a third is also being tested for the virus. 

Meanwhile, a prison nurse who first checked on Mr Rumble has put herself into ‘self-isolation’ at home, a source told MailOnline. 

Also today, the Brighton coronavirus ‘super-spreader’ revealed he fears being turned into a ‘national scapegoat’ after accidentally infecting 11 other Britons with the illness. 

This is the coronavirus super-spreader Steve Walsh, who inadvertently infected 11 people with the disease on a ski break in the Alps, and revealed he has beaten the virus

This is the coronavirus super-spreader Steve Walsh, who inadvertently infected 11 people with the disease on a ski break in the Alps, and revealed he has beaten the virus

MailOnline has found at least nine sites in Brighton linked to the city's super spreader or his infected doctor friend including two schools, two health centres and a care home as the area's residents accused public health chiefs of starving them of information

MailOnline has found at least nine sites in Brighton linked to the city’s super spreader or his infected doctor friend including two schools, two health centres and a care home as the area’s residents accused public health chiefs of starving them of information

Scout leader Steve Walsh, 53, is in an isolation unit at St Thomas’ Hospital in London after picking up the disease from one of the 100 other delegates at a Singapore gas conference last month.

Today, his next-door neighbour of 15 years said the father of two is ‘feeling fine’ but feels concerned about how he will be perceived.  

‘I’ve spoken to his wife Cathy directly and to Steve by email and they are absolutely terrified of being made scapegoats for all this which would be totally unfair,’ Ian Henshall, a 59-year-old author, told The Mirror. 

‘He acted as quickly as he possibly could as soon as he got ill. They are a lovely family. He is feeling fine now and Cathy is hoping he will be able to leave isolation and come home soon.

‘They are just obviously very concerned about being made scapegoats in all this.’

It came as two teachers at the school Mr Walsh’s two children usually attend were put into ‘self isolation’ in case they had picked up the virus, as health authorities try to trace hundreds of people he and other Britons have come into contact with since returning from Asia. 

Mr Walsh, who is assistant cub scout leader at the 3rd Hove St Leonards Scout Group where the children know him as Shere Khan, decided to reveal his identity to MailOnline yesterday after inadvertently putting Brighton at the centre of Britain’s coronavirus crisis. 

In the past 24 hours two city health centres have been closed, a care home is on lockdown and children at one primary school have been told they can stay at home after two GPs became confirmed cases and a teacher was quarantined at home.

The spread of the disease has sparked panic in the south coast city, where residents have accused public health officials of ‘losing control’ by ‘intentionally hiding’ information about Mr Walsh including his identity and exact movements since he came home on January 28. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk