BARNSLEY Hospital has denied there had been a report of coronavirus after the out-of-hours iHeart service was 'temporarily relocated'.
On Tuesday, the Chronicle was contacted and informed that iHeart ‘was on lockdown’ after a patient was admitted, allegedly showing symptoms of the coronavirus.
COVID-19, the official name for the virus that’s swept multiple nations, presents with flu-like symptoms including a fever, a cough, or difficulty breathing and the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December.
In the UK, 15 cases of coronavirus has been confirmed and the risk level is currently moderate, according to UK chief medical officers.
A Barnsley Hospital spokesperson said: “We have no confirmed cases of coronavirus and the iHeart service remains open. Like all hospitals, Barnsley has followed national guidance and has put in place NHS 111 pods in our emergency department so that anyone attending hospital with symptoms of the virus can be kept isolated from other patients and avoid causing unnecessary pressure in A and E.
“Over the coming weeks more of us may need to self-isolate at home for a period to reduce the spread of the virus. Everyone can continue to play their part by taking simple steps such as washing hands to prevent the spread of infection and calling NHS 111 first before going to the doctors or A and E if they have any concerns about or show symptoms of coronavirus.”
The most up to date information on coronavirus, including travel information on countries affected, can be found at gov.uk/coronavirus.
