Covid-19: First coronavirus death in the UK
A patient with underlying health conditions has died after testing positive for coronavirus, according to the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust.
In a statement on its website, the hospital 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. We will not be commenting further and ask that everybody respects the family’s privacy.”
“Public Health England is contacting anyone who may have come into contact with the affected patient to offer advice.”
The number of confirmed cases jumped from 85 to 115 today. The Department of Health said that 18,083 people have now been tested for Covid-19.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said it was “highly likely the virus is going to spread in a significant way”.
The BBC has reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a statement at 6pm.
More to follow