Health minister Nadine Dorries tests POSITIVE for coronavirus after a week of meeting people in Parliament and attending a reception with Boris Johnson – as UK cases rise by 61 in a day to 382
Health minister Nadine Dorries has been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to a report.
The Under-Secretary of State for Health, 62, is said to have fallen ill last Friday and was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday night.
The Times reports that she is now in isolation and is recovering from her symptoms.
Her diagnosis could send a wave of fear through Downing Street as she attended a reception at No. 10 with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and has met hundreds of people in Parliament over the past week, the newspaper claims.
In a statement to the BBC, Ms Dorries said: ‘I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus.
‘As soon as I was informed I took all advised precautions and have been self isolating at home.
‘Public Health England has started detailed contact tracing and the department and my parliamentary office are closely following their advice.’
Ms Dorries had been part of a team that drew up legislation to tackle coronavirus before she fell ill.
Officials are in the process of identifying all people she has been in contact with since contracting the virus, including MPs.
Any who have displayed similar symptoms will be tested.
Matt Hancock, who as Health Secretary is her boss, was last night understood to be fit and well and not showing any symptoms.
He tweeted last night: ‘Really sorry to hear Nadine has tested positive for coronavirus.
‘She has done the right thing by self isolating at home, and both NHS and PHE staff have been brilliant. We all wish her well as she recovers.
‘I understand why people are worried about this disease. We will do all we can to keep people safe, based on the best possible science.’
The news will fuel fears that parliament may have to be closed as the virus outbreak continues to spread across Europe.
Mrs Dorries met hundreds of people last week, including a large number of MPs, and attended a conference outside Westminster.
She started feeling ill on Friday as she was signing papers that declared coronavirus to be a ‘notifiable disease’.
She held a surgery in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency on Saturday, which wsa attended by 50 people, but over the weekend she experienced the ‘classic symptoms’ of the disease – a dry cough, high temperature and ‘vice-like’ pain in her chest.