UK health secretary tests positive for COVID-19 after PM

Hancock, like Johnson, says he has mild symptoms of the disease and has been working from home for the past few days in line with the UK government lockdown advice for people to stay at home as part of efforts to try and control the spread of the pandemic.

London: British Health Secretary Matt Hancock became the second high-ranking UK government member to confirm his COVID-19 diagnosis on Friday, soon after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus.

Hancock, like Johnson, says he has mild symptoms of the disease and has been working from home for the past few days in line with the UK government lockdown advice for people to stay at home as part of efforts to try and control the spread of the pandemic.

As the health minister, he has been at the side of the UK Prime Minister at the forefront of the Cabinet efforts to fight against the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the UK and has also led a series of Downing Street briefings over the issue.

Following medical advice, I was advised to test for coronavirus. I've tested positive, Hancock posted on Twitter.

Thankfully my symptoms are mild and I'm working from home and self-isolating. Vital we follow the advice to protect our NHS and save lives, said the 41-year-old senior minister.

Similar to Johnson's video message confirming his diagnosis and stressing that he would carry on leading the government's response to the outbreak via video-conference, Hancock also posted a video with an optimistic message about carrying with his job with gusto.

I have been able to carry on with the work, driving forward the UK response. A massive thank you to everybody in the NHS and social care, he said, describing the British public's clapping for the carers initiative on Thursday night as unbelievable.

So wonderful to see the whole country uniting in support for those who look after us. I will continue to do everything I can to get our carers the support that they need, he said.

The truth is that all of us can learn that working from home can be effective, he added. Johnson is also self-isolating with his mild symptoms of a temperature and a cough at 10 Downing Street in line with the medical advice.

I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government's response via video-conference as we fight this virus. Together we will beat this, he said on Twitter.

There will growing concerns for other members of his Cabinet as well as MPs in the UK Parliament which broke up for Easter on Wednesday but had been following social distancing norms within the House of Commons for some time now.

There are more than 11,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, and 578 people have died a jump of 100 in a single day on Thursday.

(With inputs from PTI)