Coronavirus reaches Europe for the first time as three cases confirmed in France
DEADLY coronavirus has reached Europe for the first time - with three confirmed cases in France.
Australia also confirmed the deadly virus has reached there as fears over the spread of the killer bug hit fever pitch.
Early today China revealed the death toll has reached 41, and the number of confirmed cases globally have soared above 1,300.
Last night French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said two cases confirmed there were the first in Europe.
One patient has been hospitalised in Paris and the other in the southwestern city of Bordeaux.
Later a third case was confirmed - believed to be the parent of one of the other patients.
All three are believed to have recently travelled from the area around Wuhan where the outbreak began.
And Ms Buzyn said it was likely other cases would arise in France.
She said: "You have to treat an epidemic as you would a fire, that's to say find the source very quickly."
One of the patients, a 48-year-old man, passed through Wuhan before travelling to France on Wednesday.
The new cases on Britain's dooprstep were confirmed as it emerged a flight that landed at Charles de Gaulle airport yesterday had left Wuhan AFTER the city was put in quarantine with a ban on all travel.
Early today officials in Melbourne revealed on of the suspected cases there had tested positive for coronavirus.
That patient had also returned from Wuhan last week.
Meanwhile the UK government has been slammed for its slow reaction to the outbreak which critics say is putting thousands of British lives at risk.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock was ordered today to “pull his finger out” as 14 Brits were hospitalised over the killer virus.
They were cleared but another 19 suspected cases were being tested last night.
Acting Lib Dem leader Ed Davey told Sun Online: “It’s time Matt Hancock pulled his finger out.
"We need to know how long the UK government has known the level of threat and how he is going to protect our citizens.
“These problems do not know borders and Hancock needs to work with international partners to stop this situation before it gets worse.”
Panicked Chinese students have now started rushing to buy surgical masks as coronavirus fears grip the University of Edinburgh.
A university pharmacy has run out of masks after selling more than a year's worth of stock in just one day.
Boots stores in the city have also "completely run out" and a sign in one store read "unfortunately we do not have any surgical or face masks in store".
Some people are said to have taken to using bizarre techniques such as drinking rice vinegar to fight the risk of contracting the killer virus.
And stories are emerging of some students locking themselves inside.
'CORONAVIRUS ZOMBIE' FEARS
Britain could be swarming with "zombies" infected by the deadly coronavirus infection without even knowing it, experts have warned.
The virus has a long incubation time and virtually the same symptoms as the flu, so the full scale of an outbreak in the UK won't be known for weeks.
Professor Robert Dingwall, a public health expert at Nottingham Trent University, told The Sun Online it would impossible to know just how many people could be infected by the killer virus for two weeks.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock chaired an emergency Cobra meeting at midday as the government come under pressure to contain the outbreak as soon as possible.
Meanwhile GPs have warned that anyone showing symptoms of coronavirus should be locked down in quarantine to stop it from spreading across our shores in a similar devastating fashion.
Vietnam, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong all now have confirmed cases — alongside the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
The World Health Organisation has refused to declare a global public health emergency, saying it was “too early”.
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However, officials admitted the committee was split almost 50-50.
At least 18 Chinese cities are in lockdown with 56 million people in quarantine.
Officials have restricted travel in virus epicentre Wuhan, which is home to 11million, as well as neighbouring Huanggang, Ezhou and Lichuan.
