It was announced yesterday (10/3) that a new case of COVID-19 in Milton Keynes has been confirmed.
The resident is now self-isolating with support from health professionals.
This is the second known case in Milton Keynes, following the news that a man sadly died at Milton Keynes University Hospital after testing positive for the virus last Thursday (5/3). Read the story here.
It has been reported that the second person to test positive, who had recently returned from Majora, was also on a ward at Milton Keynes Hospital before swabs for coronavirus were taken as a precautionary measure. It has been said that the hospital discovered he/she tested positive shortly after they were discharged on Friday (6/3).
Currently, Public Health England is undergoing contact tracing to find those who have come in contact with the second confirmed case. Those who have been traced already have been given tried and tested advice to minimise the risk to them and to the wider public.
Muriel Scott, Milton Keynes’ Director of Public Health, said: “I’d like to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains low and we are working with health colleagues to do everything we can to stop the virus spreading and ensure the people of Milton Keynes are protected. If you have not been contacted by Public Health England as a ‘close contact’ you do not need to take any action at this time.”
The official guidance is to continue as normal and attend work/school/social events unless you are contacted and asked to self-isolate by a health professional.
It is not yet known whether this is the person with COVID-19 who attended Hilltops Medical Centre in Great Holm or a separate case.
On Monday (9/3), the GP surgery was closed for a deep clean. A medical source told Milton Keynes Citizen: "The fact that the surgery closed when it did was probably due to a contact-tracing exercise - in that it was identified as somewhere a patient visited before they tested positive. The likely scenario is that one of the two known coronavirus cases in MK went to their doctor because they felt unwell and then they ended up in hospital because they took a turn for the worse.
"Either way, the surgery has done exactly the right thing in giving the place a thorough deep clean."
Both people who tested positive in Milton Keynes returned from abroad. The areas visited by the patients, the Caribbean and Majorca, are not "coronavirus risk areas". The source told the local newspaper: "The problem is that the trust is relying on NHS guidelines about the countries people have travelled to - and that's why neither patients was flagged initially."
General advice:
- Common sense precautions include carrying tissues with you to use when you sneeze or cough, and bin the tissue. Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or, if these aren’t available, use hand sanitiser.
- If you recently travelled to an affected area or been in contact with someone who has, and have symptoms associated with the coronavirus (a cough, a high temperature, shortness of breath) please call NHS 111. Do not go to A&E or your doctor.
- If advised by the NHS to self-isolate, you should stay at home, not go to work/school/public places, and not use public transport or taxis for 14 days. Try to avoid visitors, but people can make deliveries.
- For the latest advice visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus
