Everyone who came into close and sustained contact with anyone diagnosed with coronavirus has now been approached by health officials and advised to go into self-isolation.
Those in isolation or self-isolation are believed to include almost a dozen family doctors, with some surgeries having to call on locums at short notice.
There have been no new confirmed cases of the virus across Sussex since Monday and the movements of the five cases already confirmed has now been traced.
NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group(CCG) said this afternoon all NHS services across Sussex are open as usual.
In a statement, the CCG said: “Public Health England have contacted people who might have had close and sustained contact with the individuals as a precaution to provide them with health advice about any symptoms in case they become unwell.
“These individuals have been advised to “self-isolate”. This means they should stay at home and avoid contact with other people as a precaution. It does not mean they are ill and people who have had contact with these individuals do not need to take action.
“People living across Sussex who have not been contacted by PHE are advised they should go about their daily routine as usual. There is comprehensive advice available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus for anyone who is concerned or wants to know more.
“NHS services are open as usual across Sussex and measures are in place to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.
“Yesterday it was established that a healthcare worker working in the Accident & Emergency Unit at Worthing Hospital was a confirmed case.
“As they treated a small number of patients on 4 and 5 February before they became unwell and self-isolated, PHE has contacted all patients seen by this individual and all colleagues who came into close contact with them, to advise on the precautions they need to take.
“All services at Worthing Hospital, including surgery and outpatient appointments are operating normally.
“Some GP practices across Brighton and Hove have been cleaned as a precaution but are now running as normal. A small number of patient appointments were rearranged to allow this to happen.
“On advice from the Chief Medical Officer, the risk has been declared as moderate – a level which allows government to plan for all eventualities but that ultimately, that the risk to individuals remains low.”
Everyone is being reminded to follow PHE advice to:
- Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
You can find the latest information and advice from PHE at www.gov.uk/coronavirus
