Blackpool man tests negative for the coronavirus Covid-19

Neil Callaghan, 50, said he was struggling to breathe and had a cough after getting back from a month-long holiday, and was tested at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Neil, who lives near Stanley Park and has suffered a heart attack in the past, described “the most emotional and stressful experience ever” as he waited outside the Vic’s dedicated isolation unit to be seen by a specialist.

Over the weekend, he confirmed to The Gazette that the swab test returned a negative result for the coronavirus strain known as Covid-19.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said yesterday that 3,109 tests have been carried out in the UK so far, with nine positive results.

This is an increase of 117 tests on the 2,992 reported on Saturday.

The number of positive tests remains at nine, with eight of those patients now discharged from hospital after recording two negative tests for the strain known as Covid-19.

But "millions" of Britons with flu-like symptoms could be told by authorities to "self-isolate" by staying at home for a fortnight if the UK's number of confirmed cases passes 100, the Sunday Telegraph has reported.