LONDON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- As of Thursday morning, 590 patients in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 134 in the last 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Two more patients have died in London hospitals since Wednesday after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths in Britain to 10.
The NHS (National Health Service) along with Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking a significant expansion of coronavirus testing, with enhanced labs helping the health service carry out 10,000 tests daily, according to a previous statement from NHS England.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired an emergency COBRA committee meeting on Thursday afternoon, after which he is expected to declare that Britain will switch from trying to contain the virus to delay its spread.
The government's action plan to tackle the virus includes: containing the virus, delaying its spread, researching its origins and cure, and finally mitigating the impact should the virus becomes more widespread.
If the government moves to the "delay stage", it could see school and museum and gallery closures as well as cancellation of major sporting events.
