Public Health England, Brighton and Hove council and other health authorities are failing to keep residents informed about the extent of the coronavirus outbreak, a city councillor has claimed.
With five confirmed cases of the potentially lethal virus linked to a Hove-based man, Steve Walsh, a member of the city council’s health board expressed concern that the number of people infected in the area may be higher than the official figure.
Speaking outside the County Oak medical centre, which remained closed on Tuesday morning after a GP who worked there contracted coronavirus after coming into contact with Walsh, Prof Samer Bagaeen also accused the authorities of trying to censor councillors.
He said: “I think they have not been straight with everyone from the start and have intentionally hid the implications of the infections.
The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.
The UN agency advises people to:
- Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap
- Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing
- Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough
- Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers
- Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas
- Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or animal organs to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods.
Despite a surge in sales of face masks in the aftermath of the outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak, experts are divided over whether they can prevent transmission and infection. There is some evidence to suggest that masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions, given the large number of times people touch their faces. The consensus appears to be that wearing a mask can limit – but not eliminate – the risks, provided they are used correctly.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised UK nationals to leave China where possible. It is also warning that travellers from Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand who develop symptoms of cough or fever or shortness of breath within 14 days of returning the UK should contact the NHS by phone.
“We don’t know who in the city has been exposed and where. I am finding details about incidents from newspapers days after they have happened. We should have been informed since day one.
“You have people who are ‘self-isolating’ but could still be going to the shops. And the council has told us councillors that we must not speak to journalists.”
Walsh caught the virus in Singapore, and is thought to have infected 11 others at a French ski resort. Five of those cases linked to him are in England, and include a couple, Bob Saynor and Catriona Greenwood, who contracted the virus at the chalet where Walsh stayed.
Greenwood worked as a locum GP at the County Oak medical centre. An NHS notice at the front door of the centre in north-east Brighton told patients that “the practice has been closed for extensive cleaning as a precautionary measure”.
Five other public places in the East Sussex city were affected by the outbreak of the virus. They included the Grenadier pub in nearby Hangleton, which was visited by Walsh on 1 February. The pub has since reopened.
The Cornerstone Community Centre on Hove’s Church Road was also temporarily closed when it emerged that a yoga teacher who came into contact with Walsh had taught a Yoga for Runners class there.
On Tuesday afternoon a notice posted on the building said it was closed, and continued: “Yesterday we were advised that a user of the Cornerstone is now being cared for by the NHS. We have been assured by Public Health England that no else is at risk.”
However, to the right of the main entrance the centre’s cafe was almost full for lunch, although customers were being advised to use disinfectant gel on their hands before entering.
There was little sign of panic and very few people wearing face masks on the main shopping streets of Brighton and Hove on Tuesday. One Hove resident, who was diagnosed with leukaemia five years ago and is being treated with a new drug at the Royal Sussex county hospital, said he was concerned about the outbreak.
Mike Dicks, a cartoonist and illustrator, said: “I am worried about coronavirus now that it’s in Hove and I know people who have just returned from Asia.
“I think the local NHS trust is stretched to the limit at the moment with winter pressure and the rebuilding of a hospital, but a real outbreak in Brighton and Hove would cause a major headache for them, not least affecting leukaemia patients’ treatments.”
Dicks added: “The fear that the virus is causing amongst the general, healthy public is worth nothing as this is how cancer patients feel about everyone, all the time.
“As far as my precautions against coronavirus go – I’m going out less, staying in the flat more and avoiding visits to the doctor or to the hospital.”
