Coronavirus: Fourth person to die with COVID-19 in UK is woman in Wolverhampton
Written by News on 09/03/2020
A fourth person has died in the UK after contracting coronavirus, says Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The victim was a woman in her 70s who had underlying health conditions and had been treated in a Wolverhampton hospital for COVID-19 , the disease caused by coronavirus.
She is believed to have caught it in the UK.
England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “I am very sorry to report that a fourth patient in England who tested positive for COVID-19 has sadly died.
“I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected.
“The patient, who was being treated at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital, was in their 70s and had underlying health conditions. It appears the virus was acquired in the UK and full contact tracing has begun.”
The number of confirmed infections in the UK has risen 46 to 319 over the last 24 hours, according to the latest government figures.
The previous day’s rise was 67.
Downing Street says the UK was still in the “contain” phase of dealing with the outbreak and was not yet moving to the “delay” stage.
Public Health England will continue to trace close contacts of anybody diagnosed with COVID-19 in the containment phase, advising them to self-isolate at home to delay the spread of the virus.
Some 280 of the total coronavirus cases are in England, with London having the most at 61.
The figures reflect the situation at 9am on Monday and show that nearly 25,000 people have been tested so far.
Public Health Wales earlier confirmed two of the new cases, which it said they were not linked and that both people had recently been to Italy.
There are now six infected people in Wales.
Five of the new cases are in Scotland, taking the total there to 23.
All four people who have died in the UK after being treated for coronavirus had pre-existing health conditions.
On Sunday, it was announced a man in his 60s had died in North Manchester General Hospital.
Last week, a woman in 70s lost her life in hospital in Reading, Berkshire, while an 83-year-old man died at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
In the capital, Transport for London (TfL) said it was carrying out a “deep clean” of a Southwark office used by a worker who had tested positive.
The organisation did not specify their job, but the building is where it monitors London’s roads and controls the Tube network.
The latest figures come as Boris Johnson held an emergency COBRA meeting over the outbreak.
A Downing Street spokesperson said afterwards the UK was not yet moving to the “delay” stage.
Such a step would require agreement from Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
However, the spokesperson added that the government accepted the virus would spread in a significant way.
The Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to northern Italy – which has been put on lock down by authorities with 16 million people in quarantine – but said British nationals are still able to leave without restriction.
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The Department for Health and Social Care has said those returning from the quarantine areas should self-isolate for 14 days at home – even if they have no symptoms.
Budget airline easyJet is also cancelling some flights to Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Venice and Verona airports, with further flight reductions expected.
British Airways said it was “reviewing our schedule” and offering passengers the chance to change their booking.
Other UK developments:
- More than £130bn wiped from FTSE 100 share index on Monday
- Cancelling sports events and closing public places would be “premature” – culture secretary
- Supermarkets place restrictions on items including pasta, anti-bacterial wipes and hand soap
- Grand Princess cruise ship with more than 140 Britons on board due to dock in California
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