Coronavirus: London COVID-19 patient took Uber to A&E

February 13, 2020

UNITED KINGDOM

The first person confirmed to have coronavirus in London took an Uber to hospital and walked into an A&E department, Sky News Africa understands.

When the patient “self-presented” at Lewisham Hospital on Sunday they were immediately given a face mask and taken to a special area to be tested for the virus.

Ben Travi, chief executive of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said the test result came back positive on Wednesday and the patient was transferred to a specialist NHS centre at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital.

All staff who came into contact with the patient have been traced, Mr Travi added, while Uber has suspended the account of the driver after liaising with Public Health England (PHE).

“We received a request from Public Health England for information about a passenger who has now been confirmed as having coronavirus,” said an Uber spokeswoman.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we temporarily suspended the account of the driver who transported the individual to hospital and we remain in close contact with Public Health England.

“We have a dedicated online portal for public health authorities to contact Uber for information about riders and drivers, and we will take action on any user accounts on the recommendation of those authorities.”