UK under-secretary of state for health Nadine Dorries. Photo / Supplied
Britain's junior health minister has tested positive for coronavirus, days after attending an event alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, is now recovering in isolation.
In a statement, she said that as soon as she was informed she took all the advised precautions.
Dorries said: "I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus.
"As soon as I was informed I took all the advised precautions and have been self-isolating at home.
"Public Health England has started detailed contact tracing and the department and my parliamentary office are closely following their advice."
Dorries attended an event to mark International Women's Day alongside Boris Johnson last Thursday.
She fell ill the next day.
The news comes as the death toll from the virus hits six in the UK, with confirmed cases rising rapidly and GPs warning that routine appointments at surgeries may have to stop.
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Dorries isn't the first politician to catch Covid-19, with Iraj Harirchi, who was running Iran's counter-coronavirus task force, testing positive after appearing on television visibly sweating and coughing.
Harirchi himself then posted an online video saying he had the virus and that he had quarantined himself at his home. He promised that authorities would bring the virus under control.
In the US, a number of members of congress have self-isolated after coming into contact with a confirmed case at a political conference.
Florida representative Matt Gaetz, who rode with Trump on Air Force One as he flew from Florida to Washington on Monday, said he had no symptoms but was awaiting the results of tests after an encounter with a carrier of the virus at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington late last month.
Georgia representative Douglas Collins, who also came in contact with the same individual at the conservative conference, joined Trump during a Friday visit to the Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Photos from that day show Collins shaking the President's hand on the tarmac in Georgia.
"While I feel completely healthy and I am not experiencing any symptoms, I have decided to self-quarantine at my home for the remainder of the 14-day period out of an abundance of caution," Collins said in a statement.
-Additional reporting, Washington Post
Gaza health ministry says hospitals have two days' fuel left before restricting services.