Coronavirus: Case confirmed in Cheltenham

A person from the Cheltenham area has been confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer as the third person in Gloucestershire to have Covid-19.

They are receiving all necessary support and advice from Public Health England (PHE).

PHE is currently contacting people who may have had close contact with the confirmed case. Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after they had contact with the confirmed case. This tried and tested method will ensure that any risk to them is minimised and the wider public is protected.

To respect patient confidentiality, no further details about the individual will be provided.

Sarah Scott, Director of Public Health in Gloucestershire said: " Whilst I appreciate people may be anxious about this evolving situation, I can reassure them that we are working with colleagues across the county to do everything possible to try and minimise the spread of Covid-19."

"It is important that we all carry on with good hand washing and catching any coughs and sneezes in a tissue. It is also important we that we check on vulnerable neighbours to see if they need anything and continue to be responsible with our comments and actions, so as not to cause undue concern or anxiety within our communities."

In most cases, Covid-19 is mild but everyone should remain vigilant and carry on with good washing of hands and related personal hygiene measures, which include:

o   Giving your hands a good wash with soap and water is the most effective action you can take (but hand gels can be a good substitute).

o   Maintaining personal hygiene when coughing or sneezing is also important – use a tissue rather your hands and then throw it away.  

o   It is good general practice to use cleaning wipes to give your keyboard, desk, phone etc. the once over on a regular basis. 

If someone is feeling unwell and has the symptoms set out on the public health website they should not go to their Drs or a hospital. They should ring 111 to get further advice.

Keep up to date with advice via the NHS coronavirus web pages.