ANOTHER person in the UK has tested positive for the potentially deadly coronavirus.

The government said this afternoon that a third case of the virus has been confirmed, but that the person 'did not acquire this in the UK'.

In a statement, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: "The patient is being transferred to a specialist NHS centre, and we are using robust infection control measures to prevent any possible further spread of the virus.

"The NHS is well prepared to manage these cases and we are now working quickly to identify any contacts the patient has had."

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He did not state in which area the person lives or which NHS facility they have been taken to. 

Two flights carrying British evacuees from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the outbreak, have landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in the past week.

They were driven via buses to a quarantine centre at NHS accommodation in the Wirral.

Prof Whitty did not state if the person who has tested positive was among those flown back on either flight.

A third and final rescue flight is due to leave Wuhan in the early hours of Sunday morning, also heading for Brize Norton.

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One man who reported symptoms on the second flight - who has since told ITV he has tested negative - was isolated from the rest of the passengers and transferred to a hospital in Oxford on Sunday.

It is understood that he has since joined the other evacuees in the Wirral.

The two people who had already tested positive for coronavirus remain in hospital in Newcastle.

The University of York student and his family member were taken ill at a hotel in York. 

China has reported that the death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 563, with the number of confirmed cases jumping to 28,018.