UK Health Minister Tests Positive To Coronavirus

UK Health minister and Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Ms Dorries, who is now the first MP in the UK to test positive to Coronavirus, said she had taken all the advised precautions after finding out and has been self-isolating at home.

Dorries, the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, said in a statement that Public Health England had started tracing people she had been in contact with, and the department and her parliamentary office were closely following its advice.

She added she was worried about her 84-year-old mother who was staying with her and began to cough on Tuesday.

It is not known how many meetings Ms Dorries had attended at Westminster or in her constituency in recent days.

The Department of Health said she first showed symptoms on Thursday of last week – the same day she attended a Downing Street event hosted by the prime minister – and had been self-isolating since Friday.

All health ministers, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, are to undergo testing for the virus, along with other officials who have come into contact with Ms Dorries.

Mr Hancock tweeted that she had “done the right thing” by self-isolating at home and wished “her well as she recovers”.

This comes as a sixth person died from the virus in the UK, which has a total of 382 cases.