A PATIENT at the Royal Berkshire Hospital has died after testing positive for coronavirus – the first such death in the UK.
It is believed that the patient contracted the virus in the UK and Public Health England has launched an operation to trace all those they had come into contact with is now underway.
They had underlying health conditions and the hospital said that they had been in and out of hospital due to these conditions.
However, they had been admitted yesterday and were tested for the coronavirus. This test was positive.
The BBC is reporting that the patient was a woman in her 70s.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Chris Whitty said in a statement: “I am very sorry to report a patient in England who tested positive for COVID-19 has sadly died.
“I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their request for privacy is respected.
“The patient, who was being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, was an older patient who had underlying health conditions.
“We believe they contracted the virus in the UK and contact tracing is already underway.”
The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust has also released a statement.
It says: “Sadly, we can confirm that an older patient with underlying health conditions has died. The patient has previously been in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons, but on this occasion was admitted and last night tested positive for coronavirus.
“The family has been informed 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.
“Public Health England is contacting anyone who may have come into contact with the affected patient to offer advice.
“All services and appointments at the hospital are running normally. The Trust is following established guidelines to minimise the risk of the virus spreading.”
The news comes after Berkshire became the first place in the UK to have to close schools, after a staff member of Willow Bank Infant School contracted the virus.
Earlier today, it was revealed that there are now 115 cases of the coronavirus in the UK.
