United flight from San Francisco is one of EIGHT planes put on lockdown at London Heathrow after passengers are suspected of having coronavirus – which has now infected 15 people in the US
- United Airlines Flight 901 from San Francisco was placed on lockdown after landing at London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday morning
- The captain told passengers someone on board might have coronavirus, which is now named SARS-CoV-2
- Flight was among eight planes that have been simultaneously been put on lockdown on the Heathrow tarmac
- A passenger on board said airline staff took a passenger to the back of the plane and waited for health officials to arrive
- He said the other passengers were eventually allowed to disembark but the sick person was kept behind and their luggage was separated from everyone else
- San Francisco International Airport is among 11 locations through which all flights from China to the US are being funneled for coronavirus screening
- Thursday, US health officials confirmed the 15 American case of coronavirus in person quarantined in Texas
- London has been on red alert for more cases after suffering its first confirmed patient on Wednesday
- Almost 65,000 patients around the world have now caught the virus and nearly 1,400 have died
A United Airlines flight from San Francisco has been placed on lockdown after landing in London after passengers on board complained of having coronavirus symptoms.
Passengers on United Airlines Flight 901 were told by the captain to remain in their seats after landing at Heathrow Airport on Friday morning because someone might have the contagious infection, which is now named SARS-CoV-2.
So far, the US has confirmed 15 cases of the deadly coronavirus, including the latest patient, a quarantined individual in San Antonio, Texas, diagnosed Thursday. Eight of the patients are in California, where San Francisco International Airport is one of 11 through which all flights to the US from China are being funneled to screen passengers.
The flight was among eight planes simultaneously put on lockdown on the Heathrow tarmac after it arrived from San Francisco.
British passenger Andy West told MailOnline that passengers were warned by the plane’s captain that they could be on the tarmac for a while because ‘seven other planes’ also had suspected cases.
He revealed staff on the flight took a passenger to the back of the plane without wearing any protective gear or face masks and waited for health officials to come. Everyone was eventually allowed to disembark half-an-hour later.
London has been on red alert for more cases after the capital suffered its first confirmed patient on Wednesday. Almost 65,000 patients around the world have now caught the virus and nearly 1,400 have died.
Passengers on United Airlines Flight 901 were told by the captain to remain in their seats after landing at Heathrow Airport on Friday morning because someone might have the contagious infection, which is now named SARS-CoV-2. The flight was met with staff in hazmat suits
Other developments in the coronavirus outbreak today include:
- China reported another spike in deaths and cases yesterday with 121 succumbing to the virus and 5,090 people catching it
- Some 1,700 health care workers in China have been diagnosed with coronavirus
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is awaiting the test results for 66 possible patients in 41 states and territories
- Americans quarantined after returning from Wuhan, China are petitioning to test all of them – not just those with symptoms – for coronavirus
- US Navy and Marine Corps have been instructed to ‘prepare for a coronavirus pandemic’
- The family of eight-month-old James Adlam, from Worthing, West Sussex, will find out today if the toddler has coronavirus
- Top scientists have ruled out the coronavirus was engineered, dispelling rumors the virus had escaped from a lab
- Churchgoers were urged to avoid communion wine and shaking hands if they have ‘coughs and sneezes’ in coronavirus warning
- Amazon and eBay have been accused of cashing in on the coronavirus outbreak with comedy T-shirts making fun of the crisis
West, a chief development officer at the PR agency Hotwire, said he knew something was wrong when a fire engine drove to meet the plane on the tarmac and the aircraft was not allowed to park at the terminal.
So far, 15 people in the US have been diagnosed with coronavirus. The latest patient was quarantined in Texas. The majority – eight – of the cases are in California, where San Francisco International Airport is one of 11 airports through which flights to the US from China are being funneled to screen passengers for coronavirus
Andy West, from Henley-on-Thames, told MailOnline passengers were warned they could be on the tarmac for a while because ‘seven other planes’ also had suspected cases
United flight 901 remains on the ground at Heathrow under suspicion passengers could have coronavirus, but the other runways are reportedly operational
Nearly 1,400 patients have been killed by coronavirus since the outbreak began in Wuhan
Almost 65,000 patients around the world have now caught the virus after China reported 5,000 new cases yesterday
He said his mind ‘started to race’ and worry set in when he heard the contagious disease could be on board.
‘We landed at about 9am and the captain came on the tannoy to say three was a suspected coronavirus patient on board,’ he said.
‘I think the passenger was taken right to the back of the plane, so I didn’t get to see what they looked like.
‘We were told to stay sat until authorities came on board, and he [the captain] said that seven other flights had landed and had a similar situation.
‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried, my mind started to race.’
West said staff were not wearing any protective clothing including face masks when they took the sick passenger to the back of the plane.
Everyone was told to fill in a Health England health form which quizzed people about their recent travel history, symptoms and contact details.
They were let off 25 minutes later but the sick person was kept behind and their luggage was separated from the other passengers’, West said.
He added that travelers were told they’d be contacted if they were suspected of having coronavirus, adding: ‘There was no forward looking, no information about what we can expect or if we will hear from someone.
‘So I think no news will be good news because I doubt they’ll contact us if they don’t suspect we have it. But it would be nice to hear we have nothing to worry about.’
Heathrow Airport refused to comment. Heathrow is believed to be running as normal, with all runways open.
It was previously revealed one of Britain’s nine confirmed coronavirus cases attended a Westminster bus conference just a stone’s throw from Parliament
THE AMERICAN CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS
So far, 15 people in the US have been confirmed to have coronavirus in seven states.
The first American with coronavirus was a man in his 30s who did not have symptoms of the infection while traveling back to the US from China.
He recognized his own symptoms and sought medical attention and his diagnosis was confirmed on January 21.
The patient received an experimental treatment – a drug designed for use in Ebola patients – while hospitalized.
On February 4, the man was released, and is considered cured of his symptoms. He remains in isolation at his home as an extra precaution for containment.
A woman in her 60s who traveled to Wuhan, China, was diagnosed with coronavirus on January 25, becoming the second American patient.
She had hardly left her home, so her contacts were limited. However, on January 30, officials confirmed that she had infected her husband, who tested postive for coronavirus.
The couple marked the first case of human-to-human transmission of the virus in the US.
After being hospitalized and treated, the pair were released to home self-isolation on February 7, and said in a statement that they were ‘definitely looking forward to getting home and getting life back to normal.’
California’s first case was confirmed on January 26 in Orange County. Like the previously confirmed patients, the man, who is in his 50s, had recently traveled to China, marking the third US diagnoses.
Michigan resident Amanda Ulmen has a pre-existing medical condition, making her more vulnerable to coronavirus. She’s been wearing a mask in the hopes of protecting herself from infection, but says Dearborn police confronted her when she wore the mask into a bank
Coronavirus patients have been confirmed in Texas, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Arizona, Washington, Illinois and California, where eight of the 15 patients are located
Arizona reported its first case – the nation’s fourth – on January 26 as well. The state revealed that the patient is a male in his 20s who lives in Maricopa county and attends Arizona State University, but did not live in campus dormitories.
Also that Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that a case of coronavirus had been confirmed in Los Angeles. That patient, a man in his 50s has since been released from the hospital, on February 1, and remains in at-home isolation.
On January 30, the CDC confirmed the Chicago woman had infected her husband, and on January 31, an adult man was confirmed to have traveled to China and returned with coronavirus, becoming the seventh case in the US.
Another male in his 20s was diagnosed in Massachusetts on February 1. He lives somewhere in the Boston area and was the first case diagnosed on the East Coast of the US.
California reported a second case in Santa Clara on February 2. The person is a female, but not known to be connected to the previously diagnosed man in the county.
Patient number 11 was confirmed on February 2 as well. The wife of the traveler diagnosed in San Benito, the woman was the second instance of human-to-human transmission in the US.
Madison, Wisconsin health officials have not revealed details of the 12th US patient’s identity, except to say that the person had been somewhere in China for the New Year, contracted the disease and is recovering well.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th patients – the first two in California, the latter in Texas – are all patients who were quarantined after being evacuated from Wuhan.
HOW THE US IS TRYING TO STOP THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS
In an effort to mitigate risks of more cases of coronavirus in the US, all flights arriving from China have been funneled through 11 airports:
- John F Kennedy International Airport in New York
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
- San Francisco International Airport
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Newark International Airport in New Jersey
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
- Detroit Metro Airport
- Washington Dulles International Airport
These airports are now equipped with enhanced screening.
Quarantines have been set up at military bases near each of these airports.
Five flights were chartered by the US State Department to repatriate Americans trapped in locked-down Wuhan.
More than 800 passengers were quarantined after arriving on those flights. The first 195 arrivals have completed their two-week holding period and were released Tuesday.
About 600 people remain in quarantines at March Air Reserve, Travis Air Base and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California, Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Camp Ashland in Nebraska.
The White House has also barred anyone who is not a citizen or close family member of a citizen and has traveled in China within the past two weeks from entering the US, effective starting at 5pm Sunday February 2.
Any US citizens who has been to mainland China in the past two weeks and returns to one of the 11 airports is screened for potential coronavirus exposures and asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
The CDC has distributed tests to more than 100 labs across the US, but will have to reissue a component after quality assurance testing of some revealed they were returning ‘inconclusive’ results.