The patient was reportedly being treated at Milton Keynes hospital (Picture: Reuters/Hannah McKay)

A second British citizen is feared to have died from coronavirus in a Buckinghamshire hospital.

The unnamed patient is understood to have been a man in his 80s, who died at Milton Keynes University Hospital. It is said he had underlying health conditions.

Doctors are awaiting official test results to confirm if it was a case of Covid-19, according to the Milton Keynes Citizen. Fellow patients on his ward and medical staff who treated him have been isolated this morning, as a deep clean was carried out.

Officials are now trying to trace anybody who may have had contact with him in the days before his death. Services were said to be operating as normal at the hospital.


A sign directs patients towards an NHS 111 Coronavirus Pod, where people who believe they may be suffering from the virus can attend and speak to doctors, at St Thomas’ Hospital in London (Picture: AFP)

A medical worker carries out a test at a Coronavirus drive-through test centre at Parson’s Green Medical Centre in London (Picture: Reuters)

The news comes after the UK reported its first coronavirus-related death on Thursday. The patient was a woman in her 70s, who had suffered with underlying health conditions.



The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said she had been ‘in and out of hospital’ for other reasons but was admitted on Wednesday evening to a hospital in Reading and tested positive for the virus.

Last week, a British tourist who had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined in Japan, became the first UK citizen to die from the virus.

Currently, the number of people in the UK confirmed to have the disease stands at 115, out of nearly 18,000 people tested. Downing Street has warned it is ‘highly likely’ the virus will spread ‘in a significant way’.

Health chiefs also said on Thursday that people diagnosed with coronavirus who show only ‘very minimal’ symptoms should self-isolate at home rather than in hospital.

The man is believed to have died while being treated at Milton Keynes University Hospital (Picture: PA)

The number of confirmed cases in the UK is likely to rise quickly, said ministers (Picture: PA)

At a press conference on Thursday evening, Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, revealed 18 people have so far recovered in the UK and 45 people are being treated at home.

‘We have moved to a situation where people have very minimal symptoms and we think they are clinically safe and they are able to self-isolate, we think it is actually safer for them as well as more pleasant if they can self-isolate in their own homes,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Government advice was updated to urge people who have returned to the UK in the past fortnight from any part of Italy – rather than just the northern regions – to call 111 or self-isolate if they feel unwell.

Those who have returned from ‘lockdown’ areas in northern Italy in the past 14 days are advised to self-isolate regardless of whether they have symptoms.

A total of 25 new cases in England were announced on Thursday – 17 of whom had recently travelled from countries or clusters already under investigation, and eight of whom contracted the virus in the UK.

A man walks past a sign providing guidance information about coronavirus (COVID-19) at one of the entrances to University College Hospital in London (Picture: AFP)

A medical worker carries out a test at a Coronavirus drive-through test centre at Parson’s Green Medical Centre in London (Picture: Reuters)

One more case was confirmed in Wales, while three more were reported in Scotland.

Experts now believe the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the world has passed the 100,000 mark with 3,398 people dead, said John Hopkins University, which is tracking the global spread of the disease, updated its figures this lunchtime.



The bulk of the cases are in China – 80,556 – but while the spread there appears to have slowed down, in the rest of the world it is increasing rapidly. The latest figures from the university this afternoon put the death toll at 3.4 per cent.

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