Number of coronavirus cases in Buckinghamshire rises to 13

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Buckinghamshire has jumped to 13, almost doubling over the weekend.
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This number does not include the two cases confirmed in Milton Keynes where one patient sadly died.

As the crisis escalates, the Government has announced the local elections that were due to take place on 7 May have been postponed for a year.

The Bucks Herald has contacted Bucks County Council for confirmation that this includes the elections for the new unitary council set to launch on 1 April.

CoronavirusCoronavirus
Coronavirus

We have received the following statement from the new Buckinghamshire Council Chief Executive, Rachael Shimmin: "We are actively in discussion with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about how we handle the year ahead and will consider a number of options next week."

At the start of the week we reported that the first confirmed case was suspected to be a man in his early 50s from Aylesbury, who had recently returned from a trip to Northern Italy.

Then yesterday the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust released the following statement: “A small number of patients at Wycombe Hospital and Stoke Mandeville Hospital have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).”

This afternoon we have also learned of a suspected case at Princes Risborough School, though this is yet to be confirmed by a test. Read more here.

Across the UK and globally the situation appears to be worsening. The number of confirmed cases in the UK has jumped to 1,372.

35 people are now known to have died from the virus in the UK.

Health officials have stated that they believe the actual number of infected people in the UK “could be between 5,000 and 10,000.”

Globally there are now 170,192 confirmed cases with 6,526 deaths.

As well as postponing the local elections for a year, it has also been announced today that Premier League football matches have been suspended until 3 April.

The Queen has postponed her engagements and St Patrick's Day parades have been cancelled in London and Birmingham.

To minimise your risk of catching coronavirus, the NHS advises the following:

- wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds

- always wash your hands when you get home or into work

- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

- cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

- put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

- try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

- do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

For more advice visit: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/(Updated 9am, Monday 16 March)