LONDON.
The UK today confirmed its first coronavirus death in an ‘older patient with underlying health conditions’ as the number of cases jumped to 116 and fears of a crisis gripped Britain.
NHS officials revealed the unidentified patient tested positive for the killer infection last night at a hospital ran by Royal Berkshire NHS Trust last night before succumbing to the illness today.
No further details about the patient were released but the hospital trust admitted they had ‘previously been in and out of hospital’.
Cases of the killer coronavirus have now doubled in the UK, with just 51 cases recorded two days ago. Eight of the new cases diagnosed today caught the virus on British soil.
It comes after health bosses today conceded the infection is definitely spreading in the UK and not just among those who have travelled abroad, sparking fears the crisis is bigger than figures show.
Number 10 ratcheted up its response to the second ‘delay’ phase of its ‘battle plan’, which could see troops deployed on streets and thousands of NHS operations cancelled, because it no longer believes it can prevent an outbreak.
England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty added there was now a ‘slim to zero’ chance that the virus – which has infected more than 96,000 people worldwide – could be stopped.
And he said elderly people, known to be most likely to die from the coronavirus, did not yet need to batten down the hatches at home and that catching the virus in old age does not mean you would be ‘a goner’.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson today tried to reassure Britons he would ‘keep the country fed’ during the outbreak, in a bid to stop panic-buyers from raiding supermarket shelves and stockpiling food.
Supermarket aisles remained bare across the UK today as shoppers continued to scoop up household goods such as hand soap and disinfectant, nappies and baby wipes, as well as dried foods like pasta and rice.
Manufacturers have ramped up production and are working at ‘full capacity’ to ensure shelves can be re-stocked, while retailers are even considering rationing household essentials such as toilet paper in response.
Final-year medical students could be drafted in to reduce the strain on hospitals in the event of an epidemic, as well as retirees being pulled back into the workforce.
Meanwhile Flybe today blamed the coronavirus outbreak for its sudden collapse – despite long-running financial troubles – which has left thousands of travellers stranded around the country and put 2,000 people’s jobs at risk.
