Coronavirus: Man in his 60s becomes third UK death

By | March 9, 2020

A man in his 60s has become the third person in the UK to die after testing positive for coronavirus.

The man, who had “significant” underlying health problems, died at North Manchester General Hospital, NHS England said.

He had recently returned from Italy and was being treated at the hospital’s specialist infectious diseases unit.

It comes after UK cases rose to 278 on Sunday, up from 209 on Saturday – the biggest rise yet.

The UK’s chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty said health officials were tracing people who may have been in contact with the man while he was carrying the virus.

As of Sunday morning, 23,513 people had been tested across the UK, with 273 cases.

And on Sunday evening, five more cases in Northern Ireland were announced, bringing the total in the country to 12 and 278 in the UK.

In Wales two more people have tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the total number there to four.

Meanwhile Britons have been warned by the Foreign Office to avoid large parts of northern Italy under a coronavirus quarantine, unless their journey is essential.

Those travelling from locked-down areas have also been advised to self-isolate if they returned to the UK in the last 14 days – even if they have shown no symptoms.

Italy now has the highest number of confirmed cases outside China at 7,375, and its death toll rose from 133 on Sunday to 366.

British nationals are still able to depart Italy without restriction, bur some airlines have cancelled flights from affected areas.

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On Sunday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged to give the NHS “whatever resources it needs” to cope with a coronavirus epidemic, ahead of Wednesday’s Budget.

Mr Sunak also said he was looking at temporary measures to support people who may be unable to go to work or businesses which may suffer as a result of the measures.

The government also outlined emergency legislation to tackle coronavirus, including measures to allow people to leave their jobs and volunteer to care for those affected.

It comes ahead of an expected move from the “containment” phase of the outbreak to a “delay” phase soon, in which the focus would be on trying to slow down its spread.

This phase could see the introduction of “social distancing” measures such as closing schools and urging people to work from home.

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In other developments on Sunday:

  • Tesco said it had begun rationing essential food and household items as a result of coronavirus stockpiling
  • A group of 30 Britons and two Irish nationals were released from isolation at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral on Sunday after returning from coronavirus-hit cruise ship the Diamond Princess
  • A student at Oxford University has tested positive, but the university said the risk to other students and staff was very low
  • The Foreign Office said it was “working intensively” with US authorities to arrange a flight for British nationals on the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship
  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson said medical advice did not point to “any need for people to buy stuff in” after reports of people stockpiling goods
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On Friday, a 83-year-old great-grandfather became the second person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.

The man, who also had underlying health conditions, died on Thursday while being treated at Milton Keynes University Hospital.

His family paid tribute to him as a “truly loving and wonderful person”.

On Thursday evening, another patient, a woman understood to be in her 70s, became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with the virus while at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Globally, there are more than 107,000, with about 3,600 deaths.


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