Reuters reported Friday citing Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty that two cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country.
The official further added that the two people were members of the same family.
"We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus," Chris Whitty said, adding they were getting "specialist care".
According to the senior official, "the NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread."
Earlier this week, Dr Yvonne Doyle, a medical director and director for health protection at Public Health England, said that the country was “well prepared” for a potential outbreak of the virus.
The novel strain of coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei province, last December and has since spread to 19 countries. The virus has already killed 213 people in China as well as infected over 9,600 more.