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A woman who became the first person diagnosed with coronavirus in London turned up to hospital in an Uber, it has emerged.
The patient, a Chinese national who recently arrived in the UK from China, took an Uber to Lewisham A&E on Sunday.
Two Lewisham hospital staff members are now in isolation at home under “active surveillance” for 14 days after coming into contact with the woman.
Speaking about the first London case of coronavirus, chief executive of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Ben Travi confirmed the woman “self-presented at the A&E department”.
A spokeswoman for Uber told the Standard that it received a request about a passenger “who has now been confirmed as having coronavirus”.
She added: “Out of an abundance of caution, we temporarily suspended the account of the driver who transported the individual to hospital.”
Mr Travi added: “There has been a confirmed case of coronavirus from a patient who self-presented at the A&E department of University Hospital Lewisham on Sunday.
“The test result was confirmed as positive on Wednesday and we have been in touch with all staff who came into contact with the patient. The patient went to St Thomas’ yesterday evening.
“Our colleagues in our emergency departments are following the latest advice and protocols from Public Health England. In this case, the patient self-presented at our A&E.
“As soon as the patient did this, the patient was given a mask and then escorted to be tested in the dedicated area we have assigned for coronavirus testing outside the A&E building – while awaiting the installation of a purpose-built ‘pod’.”
Mr Travi said that the woman has been taken to a “dedicated isolation room” in Lewisham hospital’s emergency department.
She has now been discharged and was taken home by the London Ambulance Service.
He added: “In line with our protocols, throughout their care, the patient was escorted and did not come into contact with other patients.
“All staff who had direct contact with the patient have been contacted, including two members of staff who are undergoing active surveillance at home for a 14-day period as a precautionary measure – following the advice of Public Health England.”
An Uber spokeswoman said: “We received a request from Public Health England for information about a passenger who has now been confirmed as having coronavirus.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we temporarily suspended the account of the driver who transported the individual to hospital, and we remain in close contact with Public Health England.
“We have a dedicated online portal for public health authorities to contact Uber for information about riders and drivers, and we will take action on any user accounts on the recommendation of those authorities.”
Dr Rachel Thorn Heathcock, consultant at Public Health England, added: “We are in contact with Uber to ensure the driver receives advice and information on what to do should they feel unwell in the coming days.
“As the journey was less than 15 minutes, the driver did not have close sustained contact with the individual and are not considered high risk. We would like to thank Uber for their cooperation.”
