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UK Health Officials suggest coronavirus pandemic could see up to 7.9 mln Britons infected

16 March 2020 09:08 (UTC +04:00)

The UK Public Health England (PHE) agency issued a document that includes a projection for the ongoing spread of the Wuhan coronavirus across Britain, APA reports citing Sky News.

The PBE document, seen by the British broadcaster, highlighted several serious vulnerabilities in the nation's healthcare system that could lead to a spike in coronavirus cases in the very near future.

"Laboratory capacity is growing steadily but remains under significant demand pressures", the PBR report said, stressing that British healthcare staffers - who allegedly show symptoms of the pneumonia-type infection - would not necessarily all be tested, according to Sky News.

The PHE directly indicates that the coronavirus pandemic could see up to 7.9 million people infected, if the current healthcare situation does not change.

"PHE used reasonable worse-case scenario figures, to restate the importance for people with symptoms to stay at home, including health care workers in order to reduce the spread of the virus", Dr Susan Hopkins, deputy director of PHE's national infection service said, cited by Sky News.