Nine new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Lancashire
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Figures released by Public Health England reveal that nine new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Lancashire.
There are now 15 confirmed cases in areas managed by Lancashire County Council, three in Blackpool, and the first Blackburn with Darwen case as of today (March 17).
This brings the total number of cases to 19 in the county.
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Hide AdInformation about the latest confirmed cases has not yet been released to the public.
The total of confirmed cases in the UK has now reached 1,950, but the actual figure is thought to be much higher.
It's believed around 55,000 people in the UK may potentially have coronavirus and the aim is for fewer than 20,000 people to die from it, the Government's chief scientific adviser has said.
71 people in the UK have now died after testing positive for the coronavirus.
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Hide AdThe patients were aged between 93 and 45 years old and had underlying health conditions.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out the need for "drastic action" to tackle the "fast growth" of coronavirus across the UK as increased social distancing measures were introduced for the population yesterday (March 17).
As part of the measures, anyone living in a household with somebody who has either a persistent cough or fever must now also isolate themselves for 14 days.
All people should avoid gatherings and crowded places, while people who are vulnerable - including those are elderly - will need to undertake even more drastic measures.
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Hide AdThe Prime Minister said that according to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) "it looks as though we are now approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve" in the number of cases.
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