Coronavirus map LIVE: UK supermarket products 'selling out' as panicked shoppers stockpile

At least 20 people have now caught Coronavirus in the UK. It was also confirmed yesterday that a British man also died after contracting the disease. He was the first UK citizen to die after catching the virus while quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was docked off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.

Now people in the UK are buying food and household items in bulk in fear of being quarantined at their homes if the virus outbreak worsens. 

Online supermarket Ocado sent an email to customers, which said: “We want to let you know that we’re experiencing exceptionally high demand at the moment.

“More people than usual seem to be placing particularly large orders.

“As a result, delivery slots are selling out quicker than expected.”

Lidl also warned it was “experiencing a significant increase in demand for durable products or disinfectants”.

A spokeswoman said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure the food supply and we have increased deliveries to our branches.”

Boots is also banning shoppers from buying more than two hand sanitisers at one time, to prevent supplies running low. 

FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES ON CORONAVIRUS:

11.15am update: Donald Trump is hoping for a ‘miracle’ as US fears of vorus outbreak mount

The US President is hoping for a ‘miracle’ that will make the coronavirus dissapear.

He said: “It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.

Mr Trump also warned things could “get worse before it gets better”.

However, he added it could “maybe go away. We’ll see what happens. Nobody really knows”.

11.00am update: Officials in US fear outabreak as unexplained cases in West Coast rise

US officials in the West Coast reported three enexplained cases of the virus.

This has raised concernt the disease could be preading within the community. 

The cases were discovered in patients in Calidornia, Oregon and Washington State.

None of the patients ha known connections to a country that has been badly hit by the coronavirus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 59 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the US.

10.45am update: Hunt for coronavirus carrier who passed on first case of infection inside UK is ‘crucial’ claims expert

Public officials are desperately trying to figure out how a man in Surrey contracted the diseae without travelling abroad. 

The man was diagnosed with the COVID-19 strain of the virus after visiting his GP and is now being treated in a specialist unit in London.

Public Health officials have been unable to find a source of the infection.

The other 19 cases of the disease were found in people who has travelled abroad. 

University of Nottingham’ molecular virology professor Johnathan Ball said: “This case – a person testing positive for novel coronavirus with no known link to an affected area or known case – marks a new chapter for the UK and it will be crucial to understand where the infection came from to try to prevent more extensive spread.”

10.30am update: Hong Kong’s stock exchange said it will donate over £1million to help the fight against coronavirus 

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) announced it will donate HK$10million to help support the fight against coronavirus.

The company made the accouncement on Twitter on Staurday.

It is makinfg the donation to several welfare organisations that “provide relief and support to those in need”.

HKEX did not specify which organisations the funds will be donated to, or provide a timeline for the distribution.

10.15am update: French hospital staff member infected with COVID-19

A third memebr of staff at Tenon Hospital, Paris, has been infected with COVID-19.

France unveiled new measures yesterday to avert further outbreaks of the virus within its borders.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe held an emergency meeting in Paris last night.

It was agreed that 108 hospitals across France will be equipped to receive coronavirus patients.

The measures also include 200 million extra protective masks will being ordered and mayors of all towns will be receiving information kits for their areas.

Mt philippw claimed the government was taking a measured approach and urged citizens to be cautious but not worry excessively.

He said: “There is no need to panic, but also do not be negligent.”

10.00am update: Vietnam declares victory in ‘first round’ of war against virus. 

Vietnam announced all 16 victims infected with the coronavirus have been dishcarged from the hospital and decalred cured.

Al Jazeera reported the Vitnamese government has not found any new cases of the disease in 15 days.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said: “If fighting COVID-19 has been a war, then we have won the first round but not the entire war because the situation can be very unpredictable.”

Schools across the country were shut down in a bid to stop the virus spreading. 

One village north of Hanoi is on total lockdown. 

9.30am update: South Korea reports another 219 cases of coronavirus

South Korea reported a further 219 cases of Coronavirus, taking the total number of infections to 3,150.

Korea’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said  on Saturday the new cases added to the 594 confirmed earlier in the day.

Authorities in South Korea have told residents to stay at home this weekend to prveent the diseae spreading. 

Large areas of Seoul and other major cities in South Korea appear to be deserted.

8.53am update: UK steps up efforts to control outbreak with “containment phase”

Mr Argar said the UK continued to be in the “containment phase” in terms of the spread of coronavirus.

He told the BBC: “We’re still in the containment phase of this disease. We have been pretty good at containing it thus far. And the chief medical officer has been very clear that there is no reason to think that we shouldn’t be able to continue containing it, so that’s what our focus is on.”

Asked about reports that as many of 15 percent of the UK’s population could need hospital treatment as a result of the infection, the minister said it was “difficult” to make judgments based on events in other countries.

Mr Argar said: “I think what you need to look at when considering any figures is they are extrapolations based on different countries, different rates.

“Each country will be different, both in terms of its demographics and age profile, but also in terms of its medical systems.

“It’s very difficult, I believe, to extrapolate from, for example, what we’ve seen happening in China or Iran to what might happen in the UK. And I think we need to be very cautious about drawing direct parallels from different countries in different medical systems.”

source: express.co.uk