Coronavirus vaccine doctor says it is the deadliest virus he has seen

A doctor leading the research for a coronavirus vaccine said today that it was the scariest thing he had ever encountered and far more deadly than the flu – because he revealed that fighting it would be like a war.

Dr. Richard Hatchett, who heads the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, said governments must take an "aggressive" response to fight the virus, as he revealed.it could take between 12 and 18 months to develop a vaccine and cost 1.5 billion ($ 2 billion).

It comes as Boris Johnson urged the British to prepare for a “ substantial disruption '' which could last for months as he injected $ 46 million into a coronavirus vaccine and test kits when a second Briton is confirmed dead.

A total of 164 people tested positive for Covid-19, compared to 115 cases reported at the same time Thursday, while Norther Ireland confirmed its fourth case this evening.

So far, two people have died from the virus on British soil. The most recent, a grandfather in the early 1980s, revealed that he died at Milton Keynes Hospital after his admission on March 3 for suspected pneumonia. He had just returned from a cruise where he had visited several countries.

Another patient, allegedly a 70-year-old woman, became the first person in the UK to die on Thursday evening after being diagnosed with Covid-19 while at the Royal Hospital Berkshire of Reading.

Dr. Hatchett said that what we are seeing is a virus “ much more deadly than the flu & amp; # 39; and a population that is “ completely vulnerable '' & amp; # 39; because he fears that it will explode more across the world and in the UK.

He quoted from a World Health Organization official who returned from China and described the situation as "like a war".

Dr. Hatchett said, "I don't think it's a crazy analogy to compare this to the Second World War. The World Health Organization uses these kinds of terms. They have seen what this virus can do. "

Speaking to Channel 4 News, he said: “ I have been working on epidemic preparedness for about 20 years and completely without passion without raising the temperature or speaking hyperbolically.

“ It is the scariest disease I have ever encountered in my career, and that includes Ebola, it includes MERS and SARS.

"I think the most worrying thing about this virus is the combination of infectivity and the ability to cause serious illness or death."

Dr. Hatchett leads the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a partnership between governments, industry and charities, created three years ago to fight emerging diseases that threaten global health, is already sponsoring four projects Covid-19 vaccines.

He congratulated the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Professor Chris Whitty and said that he and his colleagues are doing a good job under the circumstances. But what concerns him most is the infectiousness of COVID 19 associated with its mortality rate.

He added: "We have seen very deadly viruses, we have certainly seen Ebola or Nipah or one of the other diseases that CEPI, the organization I lead, is working on.

"These viruses have high death rates, I mean, the Ebola death rate in some places is over 80%. But they do not have the infectivity of this virus. They do not have the potential to explode and spread globally. "

He said we have not seen a virus like this since the 1918 Spanish flu, which is said to have killed between 50 million and 100 million people.

Dr. Hatchett said the coronavirus has "the potential to cause a global pandemic if we are not there already".

He added: I think the virus has been shown to have a lethality which is probably much higher than normal flu.

Looking at how it has spread around the world, he said: "Singapore and Hong Kong did not close, but they mounted very aggressive responses. Tracking contacts is very important. Voluntary quarantining of contacts is very important. Isolation of cases is important. I think there might be a time to close the schools.

His comments come as an increase in funding – which comes from the UK's international development aid budget – brings the UK government's commitment to a total of 91 million.

However, Mr. Johnson warned that even with the additional resources, a vaccine would not be ready for another year.

The number 10 best scientist admitted today that the killer virus has spread in the UK, according to the World Health Organization for several days.

As fears of coronaviruses take hold of Briton, the latest developments include:

• Retailers in the UK have started to disinfect customers entering their stores as fears over the coronavirus continue to escalate;
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been faced with requests for how the government plans to stop the panic purchase against coronaviruses, as the public has told him it is a real problem;
• About half of British coronavirus patients are recovering at home after the government has declared that there is no need to keep people with mild symptoms in the hospital. 18 people have already recovered;
• A Costco in south London "disinfects" customers at the front door and Public Health England urged the public to prepare to work from home;
• Britons who feel sick after returning home from any part of Italy have now said to isolate themselves for two weeks to stop the spread of the coronavirus, in a dramatic ramp-up government advice;
• More than 100 Britons are stranded aboard a cruise ship off the coast of California, where doctors are testing passengers for coronavirus;
• An anonymous Coronation Street actor will return to work after two weeks of isolation, which he took as a precaution after a vacation abroad;
• Yesterday, more than 1,200 people working in the Canary Wharf business district in London were evacuated from the American company S&P Global Platts after an employee tested positive for coronavirus;
• A 43-year-old British man was diagnosed with the coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand, after traveling from Hong Kong, local authorities confirmed;
• The World Health Organization and Chinese scientists have released statistics showing that men are 65% more likely than women to die from coronavirus;
• The Vatican reported its first case of coronavirus, a few days after Pope Francis tested negative for the deadly infectiontion;
• The coronavirus has now infected more than 100,000 people worldwide, the head of the World Health Organization warned that the epidemic was "not an exercise";
• Global death toll from coronavirus could reach $ 15 million and $ 2.3 trillion (1.77 billion) could be wiped from the global economy during a pandemic, said National University Australian;
• Hollywood takes a hit as the release of the new James Bond film No Time to Die has been postponed, film festivals have been canceled and filming of a live remake of Mulan has been suspended;
• The 2020 Tokyo Olympics could be held in empty stadiums when there are fears that large groups of people would trigger an epidemic, according to reports of a meeting between the World Organization for health and doctors of the sports federation.

Meanwhile, the government has stepped up its response amid fears that there remains only how long before a mass epidemic in this country.

Families are urged to think about how they will cope if they have to quarantine themselves at home, or keep their friends and vulnerable relatives away from the danger of infection.

Speaking during a visit to a Bedfordshire research laboratory, Mr Johnson said: "It seems to me that there will be a period of significant disruption when we are faced with this epidemic .

"How big will it be, how long, I think, is an open question.

"But, clearly, this is something that we are going to have to deal with for quite a while in the UK."

Scientists at Imperial College London and pharmaceutical companies in the United States have revealed that they plan to start human trials next month.

But the government's chief scientific advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance, said that one would not be ready until the end of the current global epidemic.

The money will also be used to develop on-site testing for the coronavirus, which will allow people to be tested at home, which will save NHS time and resources.

Global human trials of eight possible vaccines could begin later this year, but companies would be faced with the task of mass production and distribution.

Public Health England has developed methods for screening for coronavirus, but faster tests are needed as they currently rely on sending samples to a laboratory.

At present, it takes more than a day for the result of a test to be confirmed and it must be analyzed in renowned laboratories. Tests should be done multiple times to avoid false positives.

The package announced by the PM enters the "research" phase of the government's four-step "battle plan" to contain, delay, mitigate and search for coronaviruses.

Downing Street said the UK investment in COVID-19 vaccine research was now worth 65 million, including 91 million in international work to stop the spread of the virus.

The government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, admitted that there was no time to manufacture and distribute a vaccine during this outbreak, but that its development would be useful for the to come up.

Some scientists expect the virus to become a regular part of human health, potentially a seasonal disease like the flu, now that it has spread so widely.

Sir Patrick said: "Rapid tests will be essential to manage this epidemic, but ultimately vaccines will provide the long-term protection we need.

"The UK has some of the world's greatest scientists and this money will help us in the fight against this new disease."

But, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today program, he added: “ I don't think we will get the vaccine for this epidemic.

"I don't think we will have anything in time or on a large scale for this epidemic."

In discussing the new cases in an interview with Sky News, he added: "This is a global epidemic and we expect to see more cases in the UK. This is clearly the start of an epidemic.

“We are now in a situation where we have person-to-person transmission in the UK and so we can expect more cases.

"These are now outbreaks in the community where we have individuals whom we don't know where it comes from."

"It tells you that something is going around, we are definitely in this phase."

Mr. Johnson spoke with scientists from the Mologic laboratory, which is stepping up its efforts to provide more tests in people's homes.

This means that patients can receive treatment more quickly at home, which reduces the risk that they will spread the virus to other people by going outside.

Any rapid diagnostic test could also be sent to other countries without laboratory capacity or whose medical facilities are not as advanced.

A new test will therefore be produced jointly in the United Kingdom and Senegal.

In a statement, Johnson said: “ Protecting the British is my number one priority, and that is why I have defined our four-part plan to contain, delay, mitigate and research coronaviruses.

"We are ensuring that the country is prepared for the current epidemic, guided by science every step of the way. But we also need to invest now in finding vaccines that could help prevent future epidemics.

"I am very proud that publicly funded British experts are at the forefront of global efforts to achieve this."

Speaking to reporters, Mr Johnson added: “ What we are announcing today is an investment of 46 million investments in British science which, ultimately, they will provide a vaccine, some say in about a year, but will also help us get quick test kits that everyone can use. quickly and efficiently to find out if they have a coronavirus. "

The UK has pledged to spend 0.7% of its national income – around 14 billion a year – on foreign aid.

But many Conservative MPs think the funding should go to the home and complain that setting spending levels encourages waste.

There are international rules that dictate what can be classified as aid spending, but the government believes that developing a vaccine is one of them.

Last night, Secretary of Health, Matt Hancock, was faced with requests to say how the government plans to stop the panic purchase against coronaviruses – as the public has told him that it is 39; was a real problem.

Secretary of Health tried to reassure the public about BBC Question Time after a member of the public complained that rolls of toilet paper, pasta and paracetamol were missing from supermarkets .

But Mr Hancock called on people not to adopt "herd behavior" and insisted that the government is "absolutely confident" that there will be no shortage of food or # 39; essential items.

There is growing fear of a major epidemic in the UK as the number of cases continues to increase.

Experts have warned that the virus is now spread between the British, with the government focusing on delaying the spread rather than preventing it.

As part of the flagship program last night, a woman raised concerns about the situation in stores and asked, "How can we stop the shortages?"

Mr Hancock said: “There is absolutely no need for individuals to buy more than they need.

"And in fact, part of the answer must be that we meet. We are, after all, a herd. It is biology that causes the problem.

"Obviously, the very, very strong advice from scientists, doctors, is that people shouldn't buy more than they need."

However, the woman interrupted to say that the panic purchase was happening, claiming that she had gone to the supermarket and had found no dry pasta or rolls of toilet paper.

"People are buying panic," she said. "There is no paracetamol on sale in supermarkets."

However, Mr. Hancock replied, "I understand that, but what I will say is that the government has the essentials that we need and that we are absolutely convinced that it doesn’t there will be no problem in the food supply.

"And most importantly, we are working with supermarkets to make sure that if people self-insulate, they will be able to get the food and supplies they need."

Travelers today fear that they may have unknowingly caught the coronavirus after two baggage handlers at London Heathrow tested positive for the deadly infection.

After health officials confirmed that two British Airways baggage handlers were infected, a worried traveler asked, "How many passengers have been infected?"

Fears have been expressed that the virus could have passed through the luggage of passengers, where it could survive for up to three days. Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world and tens of thousands of travelers pass through the airport every day.

According to Public Health England, none of the patients worked while he was experiencing symptoms, but it is unclear whether they had handled luggage before falling ill. Scientists are concerned that patients who don't have a cough or fever may still be contagious, but that hasn't been definitively proven yet.

Les Britanniques anxieux ont recouru au port de masques à gaz et de couvertures dans les transports publics dans des tentatives désespérées de se protéger alors que le coronavirus continue de se propager à travers le Royaume-Uni, tandis que les supermarchés de haut en bas du pays ont de nouveau été laissés nus au milieu de la ruée vers des stocks d'articles ménagers tels que savon pour les mains, couches et aliments secs comme les pâtes et le riz.

Facebook a fermé ses bureaux de Londres pour le week-end parce qu'un employé de Singapour a été diagnostiqué avec le coronavirus après avoir visité le siège anglais du 24 au 26 février.

Des médecins furieux ont averti que le manque de lits de rechange dans le NHS «se terminera par la mort» et un ex-Un employé du gouvernement a déclaré qu'une crise de coronavirus au Royaume-Uni «serait très utile» pour tuer les bloqueurs de lit du NHS.

Dans une interview accordée à ITV news, M. Hancock a déclaré: “ Je suis vraiment désolé d'entendre la nouvelle d'un deuxième décès, ici au Royaume-Uni, d'une personne atteinte de coronavirus.Encore une fois, c'était quelqu'un qui était plus âgé et avait des problèmes de santé sous-jacents.

«Mes condoléances vont à la famille et à ses proches. Nous travaillons 24 heures sur 24 pour assurer la sécurité des personnes et nous assurer d'obtenir la meilleure réponse possible dans ce pays. "

L'homme non identifié, un grand-père dans les années 80, qui avait des problèmes de santé sous-jacents est décédé à l'hôpital universitaire de Milton Keynes après avoir été testé positif pour le coronavirus tueur.

Il a été testé positif au virus ce matin. D'autres tests ont confirmé qu'il avait l'infection.

Les autres patients et le personnel hospitalier de son service ont été isolés et un nettoyage en profondeur a été effectué. Les responsables de la santé recherchent désormais toute personne qui a été en contact avec le patient.

Le premier décès sur le sol britannique, une femme de 70 ans qui souffrait également de problèmes de santé de longue durée, a été enregistré hier soir au Royal Berkshire Hospital de Reading.

Le premier Britannique à mourir a été un patient âgé qui a attrapé le virus sur le bateau de croisière Diamond Princess condamné, qui a été mis en quarantaine au large des côtes du Japon après que des centaines de vacanciers aient été testés positifs.

Les personnes âgées et les personnes atteintes de maladies chroniques telles que le diabète et les maladies cardiaques sont considérées comme les plus vulnérables au virus car elles ont un système immunitaire affaibli, ce qui signifie que le virus est plus susceptible de provoquer des complications et d'attaquer leurs organes.

Il survient après que British Airways a confirmé que deux bagagistes avaient été testés positifs pour COVID-19, la maladie causée par l'infection mortelle. Les deux sont isolés à la maison.

Les deux hommes travaillaient à l'aéroport de Londres Heathrow, qui a déclaré que "le bien-être de nos passagers et collègues est notre priorité absolue". Bloomberg rapporte que certains des collègues des gestionnaires sont également testés.

Les craintes liées au coronavirus ont déjà incité BA à annuler tous ses vols vers la Chine jusqu'en avril, réduit le nombre de ses services vers l'Europe et New York, et supprimé les frais pour que les clients changent de réservation début mars.

Après que BA eut confirmé deux cas de bagagistes qui, selon eux, auraient pu propager le virus à leur insu, le ministère de la Santé d'Angleterre a annoncé que 47 autres patients avaient été abattus, dont cinq en Écosse.

No further details about where they caught the virus were given. However, England's chief medical officer yesterday admitted the infection was definitely spreading on British soil.

Of the 164 cases already confirmed in the UK, 147 are in England, 11 in Scotland, four in Northern Ireland and two in Wales. Leading scientists have repeatedly warned there are likely to be more cases.

It comes afterProfessor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England and Wales, said people can catch the illness by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching their face.

And the coronavirus may stay contagious on hard metal or plastic surfaces like door handles or rails on buses or trains for as long as three days, he added. Some scientists have even suggested the virus may be more likely to spread on the hands than it is through the air.

Speaking at a meeting with ministers in Parliament yesterday, Professor Whitty said the virus would 'largely gone by 48 hours and almost completely gone by 72 hours on a hard surface'.

It comes just days after the NHS started testing thousands of intensive care patients for COVID-19 amid fears it is already spreading through NHS wards.

In a dramatic ramping up of efforts to detect the virus, hospitals were ordered to test any seriously ill patient with a cough or breathing difficulties. Medics were told to screen patients even if they had not been abroad or had any contact with anyone from high-risk countries.

In a New York Times article that was scathing of the NHS, British clinicians sounded the alarm about there not being enough ventilators or intensive care beds to cope with the crisis.

Dr George Priestley, an intensive care doctor in Yorkshire, said: 'If we havent got ventilatory support to offer them, its going to end in death. I dont want to be alarmist. I just want someone to pay attention.'

Experts have said that up to 80 per cent of the entire British population could fall ill with coronavirus in a worst-case scenario. Dr Priestley added: 'If we get those kinds of numbers, nobody knows how wed possibly cope.'

Professor Whitty clarified that the virus spreads when somebody who already has it coughs or sneezes onto their hand, thentouches something or someone.

Anyone who touches something the patient has contaminated is at risk of catching the virus if they then touch their face, he said.

The virus can enter the body through the eyes, nose and mouth, but not through the skin, Professor Whitty explained.

His counterpart, scientific adviser Sir Patrick, said an outbreak has now begun in the UK.

He told Sky News: 'This is the start of an outbreak clearly. We are in the position now where we have got person-to-person transmission of this in the UK and therefore we can expect more cases.'

It came as anunnamed man is thought to have succumbed to coronavirus at Milton Keynes University Hospital last night.

Fellow patients and hospital staff on his ward have been isolated this morning and a deep clean has been carried out.

It comes after a child at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital tested positive for the virus yesterday.

The first death, a woman in her 70s who also had long-term health troubles, was recorded on Thursday at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Latest figures show there have been 163 cases in the UK out of nearly 21,000 people tested.

The elderly and those with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are believed to be the most vulnerable from the virus.

The latest death comes just days after the NHS started testing thousands of intensive care patients for COVID-19 amid fears it is already spreading through NHS wards.

In a dramatic ramping up of efforts to detect the virus, hospitals were ordered to test any seriously ill patient with a cough or breathing difficulties.

Medics were told to screen patients even if they had not been abroad or had any contact with anyone from high-risk countries.

It comes after it was revealed half of Britain's coronavirus patients are being treated at home amid mounting fears the NHS does not have enough beds to cope with the outbreak.

The government whose chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance today admitted the world is unlikely to get a vaccine in time for the outbreak is also 'looking at' possibly isolating entire households as part of its four-stage 'battle plan' if the crisis continues to escalate and cases become more widespread.

Speaking on BBC Question Time last night, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told coronavirus patients caring for themselves at home to shut themselves away in their room and avoid their loved ones.

He said: 'People should try to self-isolate from their families, not only go home, try not to go out shopping, definitely don't use public transport, but within your own home you should also try to self-isolate.'

Mr Hancock added that, as the father of three children, he understood that 'can be difficult and some people have caring responsibilities', but people should try to keep to themselves as much as possible.

Meanwhile, supermarkets up and down the country have again been left bare amid rushes to stockpile household goods such as hand soap, nappies and dried foods like pasta and rice.

Despite the panic surrounding the virus the Government has urged people not to bulk buy products, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock vowing that supermarkets would not run out of food and Prime Minister Boris Johnson claiming that it was 'business as usual' after the first confirmed death of a UK patient with the virus.

But customers don't seem to be taking much notice of the reassurances and bosses at online supermarket Ocado told customers they would have to place orders early due to a 'higher than usual demand'.

Mr Hancock claimed the Government was 'working with the supermarkets' to make sure that people who are told to self-isolate who must stay at home for at least two weeks will be able to get regular food deliveries.

The Competition & Markets Authority yesterday warned that firms taking advantage of the panic by hiking prices of products could be prosecuted or fined.

It has emerged that fraudsters are cashing in on the coronavirus crisis and have fleeced panicked people in the UK out of 800,000 already.

One person has reportedly lost 15,000 buying face masks over the internet after the products never arrived.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has already identified 21 reports of fraud where coronavirus was mentioned since February.

Police warn the number of scams is expected to rise as the deadly virus continues to spread and people look to make a quick buck.

People have been caught charging for hygiene products they never deliver, price-gouging the products, setting up websites with fake information to try and get people's personal details, or sending phishing emails about coronavirus which are designed to trick people into opening malicious attachments.

A common tactic used by scammers is to send messages purporting to be from research groups linked with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), officials said.

They claim to be able to provide a list of people infected with COVID-19, which links to a malicious website or ask the victim to make a payment in Bitcoin.

The City of London Police advised: 'Don't click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details.'

Costco customers are sprayed with 'DISINFECTANT': Worker douses people entering store as coronavirus panic grips Britain

Customers at a Costco in south London are now being 'disinfected' at the front door as coronavirus fears continue to grip Britain.

Shoppers 'lined up obediently' at the Croydon store's entrance yesterday before being stopped by a staff member to be sprayed with a 'disinfectant-like liquid', the person who filmed the incident told MailOnline.

Costco today denied the claims, saying only trolley handles were sprayed not customers.

As coronavirus fears take hold in the UK now that 163 people her have been diagnosed and the virus is known to be spreading inside the UK, anxious Britons have resorted to wearing gas masks and blankets on public transport in desperate attempts to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, supermarkets up and down the country have again been left bare amid rushes to stockpile household goods such as hand soap, nappies and dried foods like pasta and rice.

Despite the panic surrounding the virus the government has urged people not to bulk buy products, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock vowing that supermarkets would not run out of food and Prime Minister Boris Johnson claiming that it was 'business as usual' after the first confirmed death of a UK patient with the virus.

But customers don't seem to be taking much notice of the reassurances and bosses at online supermarket Ocado told customers they would have to place orders early due to a 'higher than usual demand'.

Mr Hancock claimed the Government was 'working with the supermarkets' to make sure that people who are told to self-isolate who must stay at home for at least two weeks will be able to get regular food deliveries.The Competition & Markets Authority yesterday warned that firms taking advantage of the panic by hiking prices of could be prosecuted or fined.

The incident at Costco in Croydon comes amid rising reports of bizarre events around the country as concerns about the coronavirus hit fever pitch now officials admit people are catching the virus within the UK.

Speaking to the MailOnline, the person who filmed the incident at Costcosaid it was a 'peculiar situation' and that there had been no clear signs explaining what was happening or why the queue were longer than usual.

There were no available trolleys and by time I reached the top of the line I noticed the security guard/sales assistant had a translucent canister and he was spraying everyone as they walked in,' he said.

You would show your card and then receive a squirt of whatever was in there and then you would get a tissue.

He added that there had been a waste paper bin to drop the tissues into and claimed he questioned Costco staff on if these measures had been put in place because of the coronavirus to which they said yes.

The company said it was 'simply sanitising trolley handles as a precautionary measure'.

But the witness said it was definitely sprayed onto his hands, adding: 'Nobody seemed to question what was happening and everyone was just lining up obediently.

'The liquid was more fluid than hand sanitiser and it felt more water-based, it had a smell of disinfectant.'

He also claimed that customers were rationed each with two tissue products and that hand sanitizers and antibacterial products were also rationed.

Government risks causing even more panic buying as it tells people to stock up and 'plan ahead' in case they have to self-isolate for weeks despite pleading with people to stop hoarding

Britons are being told to 'plan ahead' in case they are told to self-isolate amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Public Health England (PHE) is urging members of the public to stock up on enough supplies and food to last them during a potential two-week quarantine.

Health bosses say people should be prepared to be asked to self-isolate as the Government moves into the 'delay' phase of its four-stage battle plan.

But critics say the advice sends 'mixed messages' and risks fuelling more panic-buying – which the Government has been discouraging all week.

There are mounting fears of a major outbreak in the UK as the number of cases soared past triple digits to 163. At least one person has died from the virus on British soil.

On its website, PHE said people should 'consider how you or your family would manage if you had to self-isolate for a couple of weeks'.

It set out a series of questions people should ask themselves, including: 'Do you have friends or neighbours who could bring food to your house or run errands, or could you do online shopping?

'Could you talk to your employer about opportunities to work from home if this became necessary?'

People who are elderly or 'vulnerable to severe symptoms', were also told to think how they would manage and whether they could work from home.

The website asks people to think about friends, family or neighbours who might need extra help.

It said: 'Everyone has a part to play, and we're asking people to think about what they do in a typical week, how they could limit contact with others if asked to, and how they could help people in their community, who might need support if certain social-distancing measures were put in place.

'This might include helping older relatives and neighbours to get some food in, so that they would have supplies for a week or so if required, ensuring someone would be available to go shopping for them, or arranging for online delivery if they needed it.'

Leading infectious diseases expert Paul Hunter, a professor at the University of East Anglia, said on the face of it the advice seemed to 'send mixed messages'.

But he said that it may well be a 'sensible precaution' particularly for vulnerable and elderly people who have not been given strong guidance about what to do in the event of an outbreak.

He told MailOnline: 'If this is a real change in policy it follows on from quite a few statements from governments and others (probably including myself) about the importance of not panic buying.

'However, the phrasing used in the document is, "This might include helping older relatives and neighbours to get some food in, so that they would have supplies for a week or so if required, ensuring someone would be available to go shopping for them or arranging for online delivery if they needed it.

'So this does not seem to be a real change in advice to the general public but a sensible precaution for particularly vulnerable elderly people who would certainly struggle to cope in a tight self-isolation situation.

'One of the important things about the epidemic that is, in my view, not being adequately addressed or at least communication is what do we do about the most vulnerable people in society?

'How are we going to adequately care for elderly neighbours and relatives, what should these people do during the peak of the epidemic?'

The updated advice came just hours after Health Secretary Matt Hancock appealed for people not to engage in 'herd behaviour'.

Speaking on Question Time on Thursday night, Mr Hancock insisted the Government is 'absolutely confident' there will be no shortages of food or essential items.

There are mounting fears of a major outbreak in the UK as the number of cases continues to grow.

On the flagship programme last night, a woman voiced her concerns about the situation in the shops, asking 'how do we stop shortages?'

Mr Hancock said: 'There is absolutely no need for individuals to go around buying more than they need.

'And in fact, part of the response of this has to be about us coming together. We are, after all, a herd. It's the biology that is causing the problem.

'Obviously, the very, very strong advice from the scientists, the medics, is that people should not go about buying more than they need.'

However, the woman interrupted to say that panic buying was really happening, saying she had been to the supermarket and found no dry pasta or toilet rolls.

'People are panic buying,' she said. 'There is no paracetamol that you can get in the supermarkets.'

However, Mr Hancock replied: 'I understand that but what I will say is the Government has supplies of the key things that are needed and within the food supply we are absolutely confident that there won't be a problem there.

'And crucially we are working with the supermarkets to make sure that if people are self-isolating then they will be able to get the food and supplies that the people need.'

But supermarkets today casted doubts on Mr Hancock's assurances andsaid they had not discussed getting food to homes.

An executive told the BBC: 'Matt Hancock has totally made up what he said about working with supermarkets. We haven't heard anything from government directly.'

He added that sales of cupboard basics such as pasta and tinned goods have 'gone through the roof'.

PHE also warned today that even those who are not asked to quarantine may in future need to use 'social distancing' measures such as not going to cinemas, pubs or sporting events.

PHE said social distancing and more self-isolation will only be implemented 'if scientists and experts, including the UK's chief medical officers, decide they are necessary and proportionate'.

But it said people could be asked to stay home for up to 14 days. 'If the virus is spreading quickly, we may ask whole households to self-quarantine, if anyone in the home has symptoms,' it added.

PHE said most cases of Covid-19 will be treatable at home, adding that 'being asked to self-isolate could be inconvenient, frustrating or boring, particularly if you have mild symptoms'.

However, it may be necessary to slow the spread of coronavirus, 'protect people who are vulnerable and help the NHS manage capacity'.

The public is also urged to think about how it uses NHS services, and to only call 999 in a genuine emergency.