Start of UK’s coronavirus peak likely soon as sixth patient dies
THE start of the UK peak of the coronavirus epidemic is expected within the next fortnight, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said, as cases rose to 382 and a sixth death was announced.
The latest figures show that 382 people in the UK are now confirmed to have Covid-19, up from 319 the day before, and six people have died in British hospitals.
Dr Jenny Harries defended the UK Government’s decision to delay closing schools and the introduction of other stringent tactics, saying experts are assessing new cases on an hourly basis to achieve a “balanced response”.
But new measures – including those aimed at protecting the elderly and vulnerable – are expected shortly as cases rise more rapidly across the UK.
Elsewhere:
British nationals on the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland, California, will land in the UK today and will go into self-isolation;
Health Minister Jo Churchill said some patients can expect to wait longer for NHS treatment as doctors prioritise those with more serious illness and multiple underlying health conditions;
the Foreign Office said it was in contact with Britons in Vietnam after reports of nine new cases confirmed among travellers on board the same flight from London to Hanoi on March 2, including seven British citizens;
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that “wherever clinically and practically possible, people can access and should access” GP appointments “through phones and digital means”;
there were no handshakes from the Queen as she held an audience at Buckingham Palace;
Trinity College Dublin and Harvard in the US said they were moving lessons online; and
NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage customers affected by coronavirus could get to defer repayments for up to three months
The most recent patient death took place on Monday night at Watford General Hospital, part of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
The patient, who is believed to have contracted the virus in the UK, was in their eighties and had underlying health conditions.
Earlier, Dr Harries said the vast majority of those diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK are “pretty well” but that they may “feel a bit