- The lead author of a report that helped persuade President Trump to take the coronavirus outbreak more seriously says he now has sympt, the disease caused by the virus, and is self-isolating.
- Neil Ferguson’s report had predicted that if the United States did not introduce strict measures to curb people’s activity and movement, 2.2 million people could die.
- Shortly after the report’s publication, the US government introduced sweeping guidance encouraging people to limit their contact with others by working from home, homeschooling children, and avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people.
- Ferguson also met with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street earlier this week, raising concerns that the virus may have spread further inside the UK government.
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The lead author of an alarming report credited with helping to persuade President Donald Trump to change course and take the coronavirus outbreak more seriously says he is now self-isolating after displaying symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Neil Ferguson, an infectious-disease expert at Imperial College London, said he developed a cough on Tuesday but “felt fine,” then developed a fever during the night.
“Developed a slight dry but persistent cough yesterday and self isolated even though I felt fine,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
“Then developed high fever at 4am today. There is a lot of COVID-19 in Westminster.”
Ferguson also said that he met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street earlier this week and that there was a “slight” risk that he infected someone there.
Asked by BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program on Wednesday where he thought he might have contracted the virus, he replied: “I’ve been in so many meetings in the last few weeks, and a number of my colleagues from other universities who’ve been advising government in those meetings have also developed symptoms.”
The number of coronavirus cases has increased faster in London than in the rest of the UK. As of Wednesday, Westminster had 58 cases, more than most other boroughs.
Ferguson is part of Imperial College London’s COVID-19 response team, one of the main organizations advising the international response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The team published a paper on Monday estimating that if the United States did not introduce strict measures to curb people’s activity and movement, 2.2 million people could die. In the UK, it said, as many as 510,000 people could die.
On Monday, a day after the White House was sent an advance copy of the report, the US government introduced sweeping guidance encouraging people to limit their contact with others by working from home, homeschooling children, and avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people.
Johnson’s government also dramatically changed course after seeing the report, adopting more draconian measures designed to suppress the outbreak.
The New York Times said the White House’s new guidance “appeared to draw” on Imperial College’s report, and Ferguson confirmed that it was sent an advance copy of the report.
“The White House task force received it late Sunday afternoon, CDC yesterday,” Ferguson told CNN on Tuesday.
“To be honest, I don’t know how much it influenced decision making. But I hear Dr. Birx cited it,” he added, referring to Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator. “We will be having a much more detailed discussion with the task force tomorrow morning.”
