Britain reports number of coronavirus cases has risen to 23

(Reuters) - The number of people infected with coronavirus in the United Kingdom had risen to 23 on Saturday, after three more patients tested positive, Britain's health department said.

© Reuters/Hannah McKay A woman wearing a protective mask travels on a Jubilee Line tube train in London

"As of 29 February at 9am (0900 GMT), a total of 10,483 people have been tested in the UK, of which 10,460 were confirmed negative and 23 positive," the department said in a statement.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that slowing the spread of coronavirus was now his government's top priority, shortly after news that the first Briton had died of the disease after contracting it on a cruise ship moored in Japan. 

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexander Smith)