A fourth person in the UK has died after testing positive for coronavirus. The patient, who was being treated at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital, was in their 70s and had underlying health conditions. A statement from England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty said the patient is believed to have contracted the illness in the UK and ‘full contact tracing had begun’. A Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust spokesperson added: ‘The Trust can confirm that a patient in their 70s being treated for underlying health conditions has died. The patient had tested positive for Covid-19.
‘The family has been informed and our condolences 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.’ Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs: ‘Here in the UK, as of this morning, there were 319 confirmed cases. Very sadly this now includes four confirmed deaths. ‘I entirely understand why people are worried and concerned and we send our condolences to the families.’ A man in his 60s became the third person to die from Covid-19 in the UK yesterday.
The patient, who had ‘a number of underlying health problems’, tested positive after returning to the UK from Italy, NHS England said. Updating MPs on coronavirus today, Heath Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘We continue to work to contain the virus, but we’re also taking action to delay its impact, to fund research and to mitigate its consequences.
‘Throughout our approach is guided by the science. That is the bedrock on which we base all our decisions. ‘Our plan sets out what we are prepared to do and we’ll make the right choices of which action to pursue at the right moment. ‘The scientific advice is clear – acting too early creates its own risks, so we will do what is right to keep people safe. ‘Guided by the science we’ll act at the right time and we’ll be clear and open about our actions and the reasons for them.’