The first person has died in Britain from coronavirus, the BBC reported yesterday.
The BBC said an older patient with underlying health conditions had died after testing positive for the virus.
Meanwhile the number of coronavirus cases in the UK has surged to 115, with at least eight of the new patients infected without having gone abroad, the department of health and social care has said.
The figure is an increase of 30 from Wednesday, and includes a further 25 people in England as well as previously reported cases in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
A total of 18,083 people in the UK have now been tested and Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said the virus was “likely to spread significantly”.
The government also provided a regional breakdown of where all the cases are located, after reversing a controversial decision to withhold information about the geographical spread of the disease.
The U-turn came after Wednesday’s decision prompted accusations of secrecy and concerns that it would lead to the spread of fake news.
England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, announced the reinstatement of daily location updates and admitted a “communication fumble” on the issue.
The latest updates show:
• Twenty-five cases of coronavirus are in London. It comes as more than 100 staff from HSBC’s research department were sent home from the 45-floor skyscraper in Canary Wharf while a section of the trading floor was also cleared out.
• Two more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Liverpool. A spokesman for the city council said one was in contact with an existing patient and the other has recently returned from Italy.
• Wales’ chief medical officer said a second patient has been identified in the country and is not believed to be linked to the first Welsh patient. They had recently travelled to Italy.
• The first West Midlands case was also confirmed by health officials. Public Health England (PHE) says a patient in Birmingham has tested positive.
• The spread of coronavirus means it is likely Premier League matches will be played behind closed doors this month, a leading club executive has admitted.
Yesterday’s update came after Whitty warned that there could be intense pressure for critical care beds in the NHS during an epidemic. He told MPs the UK had now mainly moved into the “delay phase” of tackling the virus.
Half of all coronavirus cases in the UK were most likely to occur in just a three-week period, with 95% of them over a nine-week period, he added.
The prime minister was updated on the coronavirus by the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser as he opened an official Cobra meeting. “We will continue to try to contain this virus. However it’s now highly likely that the virus is going to spread in a significant way.
“Officials will therefore accelerate work on preparations for the delay phase of the government’s plan focusing on steps we can take to seek to delay the spread of the virus,” the spokesperson said.
Three new cases were confirmed in Scotland.