BRADFORD'S hospitals say they are prepared to deal with any possible coronavirus outbreak in the city.

They are following advice from Public Health England and have said they have no suspected case to date.

A spokesperson for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have been briefed fully and given advice by Public Health England and are prepared to deal with any suspected cases of coronavirus that present at our hospitals.

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"We have had no suspected cases to date.”

Bradford Teaching Hospitals has had 54 confirmed cases of regular flu so far. The trust says this is in line with a normal winter and does not exceed the same period last year.

The University of Bradford has in excess of 300 Chinese students.

A University spokesman said: “The University is monitoring advice from both Public Health England (PHE) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and providing advice and support to staff and students.

"We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and give additional advice and information as it becomes available.

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"The University is providing space and support for anyone who is affected by the situation.”

A spokesperson for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said: "We have not had any suspected cases of coronavirus to date. 

"Current Public Health England advice is to treat any suspected coronavirus cases as a ‘high consequence infectious disease’ and there is standard national guidance on such diseases to follow if suspected cases present at the hospital. We have ensured all our Emergency Department staff are aware of this and that we have the requisite personal protective equipment (PPE) such as long-sleeved gowns, should we need it.

"Numbers of influenza cases have been average for the time of year, and are managed as part of our overall winter response." 

The Government's Cobra emergency committee has met to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus after 14 people have been cleared of having the virus.

The meeting in Whitehall was chaired by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Tests for coronavirus on 14 people in the UK have come back negative but there are checks ongoing on other people, according to the Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty.

Professor Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director at PHE, has said it is still "early days" in the course of the virus, but stressed that most of those affected abroad are making a good recovery.

But he added it is "highly likely" that cases would be seen in the UK.

Mr Hancock said the risk to the UK public "remains low" as he left the Cabinet Office.

The Scottish Government confirmed on Thursday that five people were being tested after presenting with symptoms of the illness, while it was understood that another patient was tested at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.

Meanwhile, the official death toll in China has risen to 26 with more than 830 confirmed cases.

The Chinese city of Wuhan is rapidly building a new 1,000-bed hospital to treat victims of a new coronavirus, while Disneyland Shanghai and parts of the Great Wall of China have been closed to visitors.

Reuters reported that hospitals in Wuhan are struggling to cope due to medical shortages.

Almost 30 million people and 10 cities in China are now facing travel restrictions.

Other cases have been reported in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.

Symptoms of coronavirus include fever, sneezing and coughing.

If a GP suspects a patient has coronavirus, they should be placed in a room away from other patients and staff with the door closed, the PHE guidance states.

They should not be allowed to use communal toilet facilities or be physically examined, it adds.