Coronavirus: Second person in UK dies as panic buyers empty shelves

The chief medical officer has confirmed the second person to die after contracting coronavirus is a man in his early 80s.

The man was understood to have underlying health conditions and died at Milton Keynes Hospital.

Test results confirmed he had COVID-19.

“I am very sorry to report a second patient in England who tested positive for COVID-19 has sadly died,” professor Chris Whitty said.

He added: “I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their request for privacy is respected.”

Professor Whitty said contact tracing was under way to find anyone who came into contact with him in the days before his death.

Hospital staff who nursed the patient have gone into isolation.

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust confirmed the man died shortly after testing positive for the virus.

The trust said all services and appointments at the hospital were “running normally” and that it was following advice to minimise the risk of the virus spreading.

Forty-eight new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the UK over the past 24 hours, taking the total to 164.

On Thursday, a woman reported to be in her 70s became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading said the woman had been “in and out of hospital” for other reasons but was admitted on Wednesday evening and tested positive.

Meanwhile, two British Airways staff, believed to be baggage handlers, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday and are recovering at home in isolation.

Also, Facebook is closing its London offices until Monday and telling staff to work from home after an employee was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The employee who was diagnosed with the virus was normally based in Singapore, the company told Sky News, but had visited the London offices between 24-26 February.

The government is working with supermarkets to ensure food supplies as the number of people self-isolating with the virus continues to rise, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

He sought to reassure the public following panic-buying in some areas, saying the government is “working to makes sure that if people are self isolating, they will be able to get the food and supplies that they need”.

He added there was “absolutely no need” for individual people “to go round buying more than they need.”

Health chiefs said people diagnosed with coronavirus who show only “very minimal” symptoms should self-isolate at home rather than in hospital.

Travellers returning to the UK from anywhere in Italy have also been advised to self-isolate if they develop symptoms.

In other developments:

• Twenty one people stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of California have tested positive for coronavirus.
• Sports authorities and broadcasters to meet officials for discussions on UK coronavirus contingency plans.
• Globally, the number of coronavirus cases has passed 100,000. There have been 3,400 deaths worldwide.
• London’s FTSE-100 has seen its biggest fall of the coronavirus crisis.
• Boris Johnson pledges an extra £46m for research into coronavirus vaccines and rapid diagnostic tests in the UK.
• Donald Trump has signed a bill to provide $8.3bn (£6.4bn) to bolster the capacity to test for coronavirus and fund other measures in the US.
• Dr Mike Ryan, from the World Health Organisation, said it was “a false hope” that coronavirus would disappear in the summer like flu.
• Officials in the US city of Austin have cancelled the South by Southwest arts and technology festival.
• A 43-year-old British man is confirmed with COVID-19 in Thailand, while the Vatican confirmed its first case.
• Iran’s death toll from the virus jumped to 124, as more than 1,000 new cases were diagnosed over 24 hours.
• The death toll in Italy rose by 49 to 197 on Friday, the largest daily increase in fatalities.
• Mainland China had 99 new confirmed cases of infections on Friday, down from 143 cases a day earlier.

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