BRITAIN’S FIRST VIRUS DEATH
Patient was in her 70s ++ Cases in UK surge to 116 ++ Half are being treated at home ++ Three new cases diagnosed in Scotland
THE UK saw its first coronavirus death yesterday as Nicola Sturgeon warned cases in Scotland are likely to ‘rise rapidly’.
Officials have launched an effort to protect the elderly and vulnerable – with people advised to stay away from large gatherings and use Skype to communicate with relatives.
In total, six people are being treated for COVID-19 north of the Border, with 116 cases recorded across the UK.
In Scotland, ministers are still in the initial ‘contain’ phase, but in England and Wales this has been ramped up as officials try to delay the peak of the epidemic until spring or summer.
Yesterday, Miss Sturgeon revealed a raft of measures to help fight the outbreak in Scotland – including recruiting recently retired doctors and nurses.
The First Minister also said plans are under way to treat patients diagnosed with the virus in the community, with hospital beds saved for those in most danger of developing severe symptoms.
Up to 47 people across Britain with a mild form of the illness are caring for themselves at home, supported by daily calls with public health officials.
This is nearly half of the 99 patients in the UK. Of the 116 cases, 17 have recovered.
But the NHS’s move towards ‘home monitoring’ where possible is another acknowledgement that officials are bracing themselves for a surge in cases.
The Department of Health confirmed the first coronavirus death on UK soil last night – believed to be a woman in her 70s at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
A British man died last week in Japan after becoming infected aboard the Diamond Princess cruise liner. In another fast-moving day: n Britons who returned from any part of Italy were told to selfisolate for two weeks if unwell;
■ The Chief Medical Officer said the UK was moving ‘full tilt’ towards the second ‘delay’ phase of the outbreak, although Scotland continued to show small numbers of positive cases;
■ A list of retired doctors and nurses was being drawn up in Scotland to be drafted in to help deal with the outbreak;
■ Scottish football chiefs raised the prospect of the season being ended early if even one club reported a positive case;
■ Britons continued to panic buy despite appeals from Boris Johnson and health officials;
■ The World Health Organisation advised shoppers to wash all fruit and vegetables and avoid handling cash to reduce the risk of contracting the virus;
■ The Chief Medical Officer said between 8 and 9 per cent of patients could die in a worst-case scenario;
■ At least ten patients with the disease are thought to have contracted it in the UK through ‘community transition’.
Yesterday Health Secretary Matt Hancock wrote on Twitter: ‘Terribly sad news today that a patient with underlying health conditions has died with coronavirus in Reading. My sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.
‘We will work tirelessly to protect the public from this disease.’
Most patients will only contract a mild form of coronavirus and NHS officials say there is no need for them to come into hospital and risk infecting others. As the number of positive cases rises, the NHS in Scotland will allow lowrisk individuals to be monitored at home. These will include those who are not elderly and do not have long-term conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.
A new testing centre is being set up in Tayside, along with two in use in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
At First Minister’s Questions yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘I think we all recognise and accept that it looks increasingly unlikely that we are going to be able to contain this outbreak indefinitely.
‘So therefore it is likely that we will move into the delay phase of the virus and that may be reasonably soon, but that will be guided by the best scientific advice.’
Describing the situation as ‘very serious’, she added: ‘As of this morning we have six confirmed cases. I would expect that to rise – possibly very rapidly – in the days to come. I also want to stress that we are still very much in what is called the contain phase of the virus in Scotland.’
Explaining the importance of delaying the spread of the infection, she said: ‘We may not be able to contain the virus indefinitely, but every day we manage that and every week that we manage that, taking a future peak out of the winter period and into spring and summer, then we help to reduce the impact.’
However, officials said that they are expecting Scotland to reach the ‘delay’ stage of dealing with coronavirus imminently.
At the Scottish parliament yesterday, Ruth Davidson signalled the building could be closed if the outbreak gets worse.
‘We will work tirelessly’