Further confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Birmingham
There have been three further confirmed cases of coronavirus in Birmingham today (13th March 2020) bringing the total number of cases in the city to five.
Two of the cases are in hospital receiving treatment, while the other individual is in the community and is self-isolating.
Birmingham City Council is working closely with Public Health England (PHE) and National Health Service (NHS) colleagues to manage the situation and help reduce the risk of further cases.
Birmingham City Council’s Director of Public Health, Dr Justin Varney said:
“Further cases of COVID-19 were expected and we continue to work hard with partners in the NHS and PHE to manage the ongoing situation.
“National Government has stepped up the level of response to ‘Delay’ and we continue to work across the City to prepare for the evolving situation.
“Please be reminded that the risk to the general public remains low and we are doing everything possible to prevent the virus from spreading.
“Following Government guidance to take basic hygiene precautions remains the best way of significantly reducing the chances of spreading any virus: sneeze or cough into a tissue, bin it, wash your hands frequently and don’t touch your face unless you’ve just washed your hands. We should do this regularly throughout the day.
“People should log onto https://gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest advice and information.”
There will be no further comment on these cases.
COVER NOTE
As it stands, Birmingham City Council will be issuing individual press releases for each confirmed coronavirus case in the city until there over 10 cases.
In complex or emergency cases, we will organise a press briefing to inform local media of the situation.
