Woman in 70s confirmed as first UK coronavirus fatality

A patient at the Royal Berkshire Hospital who tested positive for coronavirus has been confirmed as the first death in the UK related to the virus.

The woman, in her 70s, is believed to have had underlying health conditions and was admitted and tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.

The death comes as the number of UK people diagnosed with the virus reached 116, a rise of more than 30 in 24 hours.

A spokesperson from the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust, 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 tragic news of this first coronavirus related death comes on the same day as the first case of coronavirus was announced in Birmingham by health officials.

If you’re worried about coronavirus symptoms or have related concerns, please visit: https://gov.uk/coronavirus.