Junior UK health minister tests positive for Covid-19

Junior British Health Minister Nadine Dorries has tested positive for coronavirus but out of danger, according to a news report. “I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus… and have been self-isolating at home,” said the Conservative MP.

Health officials are still unsure of how she contracted the virus. Britain has reported more than 370 cases of coronavirus infections so far, while six people have died from the disease. Ms Dorries is the first British politician to be diagnosed with coronavirus.According to The Times, the junior minister fell ill on March 6 while signing a government notification to declare Covid 19 as a ‘notifiable’ disease, which will allow people to obtain insurance cover. The paper added her health has been improving after treatment.

“I would like to thank… the wonderful NHS staff who have provided me with advice and support,” she was quoted as saying. The news of her testing positive to the disease is likely to increase calls to suspend parliament, though the government is against it in the middle of a health crisis. Her senior Matt Hancock, who is leading Britain’s coronavirus fight, said in a tweet, “We will do all we can to keep people safe, based on the best possible science.”

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to unveil new measures to ease the economic distress due to the Covid 19 outbreak as he presents his first budget on March 11. He is likely to allocate a bigger fund for the National Health Service to help combat the virus.Earlier, the Bank of England’s new chief Andrew Bailey had said that UK companies would need government help to recover from the disruption caused by the virus.

Author Profile

India Writes Network: India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.