BMA emergency prepares lead, Peter Holden, spoke to LBC on Saturday about the coronavirus. He said that it’s understandable that people are worried, but it’s important to maintain perspective on the outbreak and that, compared to flu, general risk and fatalities remain low. He also spoke to talkRADIO on Tuesday about the latest developments in the spreading of the infection. Asked if the UK is prepared for its own outbreak, he said: "Yes, we're prepared, without in any way being complacent. We're as prepared as we can be because we don't know the precise size and shape of this beast yet.”

We are in regular dialogue with PHE and NHSEI on this developing situation, particularly following the news of two confirmed cases in York. We will keep practices informed as we can. Read the PHEguidance for primary care here and further information, including to the public, is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/wuhan-novel-coronavirus