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A patient in Berkshire has become the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
The “older patient” was admitted to the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust on Wednesday evening and had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
A statement released by the trust on Thursday said: “Sadly, we can confirm that an older patient with underlying health conditions has died.
“The patient has previously been in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons, but on this occasion was admitted and last night tested positive for coronavirus.
“The family has been informed and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”
England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said the person who died was an “older patient” who is believed to have contracted the virus in the UK “and contact tracing is already underway”.
Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, told Sky News that the death “marks a moment in our outbreak”.
“We’ve got to keep our nerve. We’ve got to keep the case numbers down,” he said.
The death comes after the number of coronavirus cases in the UK has more than doubled in 48 hours, with Downing Street warning it is “highly likely” the virus will now spread in a “significant way”.
Some 116 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK, including 105 in England, three in Wales, six in Scotland and three in Northern Ireland.
Just two days ago there were 51 UK cases.
The NHS has now urged anyone returning to the UK from any part of Italy – which is facing Europe’s biggest outbreak – to self-isolate if they develop symptoms.
Courtesy of Sky News
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