The first UK patient to die after testing positive for coronavirus had underlying health conditions as the number of diagnosed cases hit three figures.
The Health Secretary says the government is working “tirelessly to protect the public” from coronavirus after the UK recorded its first death.
The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said the older patient, reported to be a woman in her 70s, had been “in and out of hospital” for other reasons but was admitted on Wednesday evening to hospital in Reading and tested positive.
It came during a day of several key developments, with the number of UK cases of Covid-19 surging to 116 – more than double the total 48 hours earlier – and Downing Street warning it was “highly likely” the virus would spread “in a significant way”.
Meanwhile, more than 140 British nationals are stranded on a cruise ship after a former passenger died from coronavirus and several people on board fell ill.
The Grand Princess, which carries more than 3,500 people, remains at sea off the coast of California.
Covid-19 test kits are being flown out to the ship and will be analysed at a laboratory in San Francisco.