UK suffers first coronavirus death as Diamond Princess passenger dies
The coronavirus has claimed its first British victim after a man quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship has died, according to the Japanese ministry of health.
It said that there had now been six fatalities among the 705 people that tested positive on the coronavirus-stricken ship, with this the first foreigner.
The Foreign Office has confirmed the death of the British man, whose family have requested privacy.
“We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Japan and are in contact with local authorities,” a spokesperson said. “Our sympathies and thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”
While dozens of Britons were evacuated from the ship off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, last week, four had to remain due to testing positive for Covid-19.
The Japanese government has come in for criticism for its handling of the outbreak on the ship, with doctors suggesting it acted as an incubator.
The identity of the man has not yet been confirmed, although it is not believed to be David or Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who are being treated at a hospital in Japan.
It comes after the UK saw four new cases in under 24 hours.
Earlier today Wales confirmed its first coronavirus patient, while England had two more. Northern Ireland has also had its first case.
The case in Wales and Northern Ireland were people who had flown back from Italy, while those in England had recently returned from Iran.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to chair an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday as the number of coronavirus cases in the UK rose to 19.
A No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is keen to chair Cobra on Monday to ensure that everything that can be done is being done.”
Johnson spent four hours on Thursday night Kettering hospital to discuss plans on dealing with an outbreak.
England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty warned it is “just a matter of time” before it starts spreading person-to-person in the UK.
It comes as the virus continues to spread around the globe, with the World Health Organisation saying it was the second day the number of new cases was greater outside of China than within.
The global total number of cases is now in excess of 83,900 and the death toll has surpassed 2,800.
WHO said it had “reached a decisive stage” and had “pandemic potential”.