A British man who was dubbed by the media as a “super spreader” of coronavirus, known officially COVID-19, was discharged from a London hospital after making a full recovery, said the National Health Service in a statement on Wednesday.
Steve Walsh is believed to have infected about a dozen people while traveling, having contracted the virus in Singapore.
“I would like to thank the clinical team who treated Mr. Walsh in hospital“ along with staff who worked hard ”to limit the spread of coronavirus and treat the small numbers who have contracted the illness,” he said.
“As soon as I knew I had been exposed to a confirmed case of coronavirus I contacted health officials in the UK,” he added. “I was advised to attend an isolated room at hospital, despite showing no symptoms, and subsequently self-isolated at home as instructed. When the diagnosis was confirmed I was sent to an isolation unit in hospital, where I remain, and, as a precaution, my family was also asked to isolate themselves.”
The virus is believed to have sickened tens of thousands of people in China, and the outbreak is centered in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Chinese officials have implemented lockdowns and transportation bans in dozens of cities.
Dr. Tony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, meanwhile, told reporters on a call that COVID-19 is spreading more rapidly than SARS, which sickened thousands in China in the early 2000s.