Ten people have now died in the UK after contracting coronavirus as the country experienced its largest daily increase in cases.

Two deaths were announced on Thursday after the patients tested positive for COVID-19, the prevalent strain of coronavirus.

They were both in London and had underlying health issues.

An 89-year-old who was "very unwell with underlying health conditions" died at Charing Cross Hospital in west London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust confirmed.

And a woman in her 60s who had been "very unwell with significant other health conditions" died at Queen's Hospital in east London, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust said.


The number of confirmed cases in the UK reached 590 on Thursday - up by 134 in the last 24 hours.

The 29% increase in confirmed cases is the largest day-on-day rise in the UK since the outbreak began in late December in Wuhan, central China.

The day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the virus a pandemic, Thursday was also the first time the day-on-day increase reached three figures in the UK.

But Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, said the actual number of people infected in the UK at the moment could be between 5,000 and 10,000.

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A week ago, on 5 March, the total number of cases was 115, making Thursday's total of 590 more than five times greater than that.

The increase in numbers came as Boris Johnson hosted a COBRA meeting, after which he confirmed the UK has now moved from the "contain" stage to the "delay" stage of tackling the spread of coronavirus in the country.

Prince Charles avoids handshakes

Other key coronavirus developments include:

A UK paramedic has tested positive for the coronavirus

Greece, Austria, Bulgaria, Ireland, Sweden and Indonesia have reported their first deaths from the illness

Iran has said there have been 75 more deaths in the country, bringing the total to 429

There are now 2,078 cases of the virus in Germany

Spain's parliament has extended its suspension for 15 days and all La Liga football games are suspended

Real Madrid football team is in quarantine after a member of its basketball team, who trains at the same location, tested positive for the virus

The NBA basketball season has been suspended because of the pandemic

Norway is considering closing several of its airports, according to airport operator Avinor

Mass gatherings of 250 people or more have been banned in California

Denmark has shut all schools and universities after a 10-fold rise in cases since Monday

China's coronavirus adviser has said he expects the global pandemic to be over by June

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom has said he fears some countries are not taking the virus seriously enough

Shoppers empty shelves at Lidl

The announcement of the two further UK deaths came as Ireland shut down schools and tourist attractions until the end of the month.

The Republic has had 43 confirmed coronavirus cases and one death, as of Thursday afternoon.

Taking action against the high number of cases in Europe, US president Donald Trump announced a ban on people travelling to the US from 26 European countries - except Ireland and the UK.

He said he excluded the UK from the 30-day ban, which starts on Friday, because it is "doing a good job on coronavirus".

The president added that he could not consult with European officials before implementing the travel ban because he "had to move quickly".

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Italy has been the hardest hit nation outside China, with the entire country placed on lockdown this week as the government tries to control the outbreak which has infected nearly 12,500 people in Italy and killed 827.

The world's financial markets have also been hit hard, with the FTSE 100 losing more than 10% of its value on Thursday, the biggest fall since the 1987 financial crash.

Nearly £150bn was wiped off London's top index as concern over the global spread of coronavirus heightened.