Matt Hancock has confirmed 55 people in the UK have now died after testing positive for the coronavirus.

A further 19 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths in England to 53.

A 68-year-old with underlying health problems became Wales’ first and only known fatality on Monday. Scotland has also seen a patient in Lothian die after contracting the virus.

The pandemic is “the most serious public health emergency that our nation has faced for a generation”, the health secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons.

“Our goal is to protect life,” Mr Hancock said. ”Our actions have meant that the spread of the virus has been slowed in the UK and I want to pay tribute to the officials at Public Health England and the NHS for their exemplary approach to contact tracing and their work so far.

“However, the disease is now accelerating and 53 have sadly now died. Our hearts across this whole House go out to their families.”

The number of confirmed cases in the UK had rise by 171 to 1,543 as of 9am on Monday, the Department of Health said.

It came as Boris Johnson warned Britons to work from home, drop their travel plans and avoid pubs and clubs, announcing unprecedented measures to curb the outbreak's spread.

The prime minister declared "drastic action" was needed, announcing that up to 1.5 million people with the “most serious health conditions” must avoid almost all social contact for 12 weeks, starting this weekend.

Mr Johnson said he had been told by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies that "it looks as though we are now approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve" in the number of new cases.