Two cases of the coronavirus illness have been confirmed in the UK.
Two family members in England are the first confirmed cases of SARS-like coronavirus, which has killed more than 210 people in China.
The location where the patients were tested or where they are currently being treated has not been revealed, Mirror.co.uk reports.
The announcement that two patients have tested positive for the killer bug came a day after health chiefs in the UK raised the public risk of infection from low to moderate.
Health bosses had earlier warned that the virus was likely already in the UK and it was only a matter of time for the first confirmed case to appear.
There have been no confirmed cases of the illness in Ireland so far.
Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said: “We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus.
"The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus.
“The NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread.
“We have been preparing for UK cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately.
"We are continuing to work closely with the World Health Organization and the international community as the outbreak in China develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities.”
The Department of Health declined to say where in England the patients were from but it is understood they are not in the Wirral area, where a special facility has been set up to quarantine Britons evacuated from Wuhan.
