UK says two of its new coronavirus cases are healthcare workers

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Two of the new coronavirus cases in Britain announced on Monday are healthcare workers, Public Health England said.

Earlier, Britain said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had doubled to eight as the government declared the virus a serious and imminent threat, giving it additional powers to isolate those suspected of being infected.

"We are now working urgently to identify all patients and other healthcare workers who may have come into close contact, and at this stage we believe this to be a relatively small number," Public Health England Medical Director Yvonne Doyle said in a statement. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Elizabeth Howcroft, editing by Elizabeth Piper)