FATAL RISE
Fifth UK coronavirus death confirmed as patient in their 70s after number infected rockets to 321
BRITAIN'S coronavirus death toll has risen to five as the UK's infection rate rocketed to 321.
The patient, who was in their seventies, had long term health conditions and died at St Helier Hospital in Sutton, South London.
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Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive, for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said the patient "was very unwell with a number of significant and long term health conditions".
Earlier today it was revealed a fourth person had died from the virus while being treated at Royal Wolverhampton Hospital.
The woman was in her 70s and had underlying health conditions.
She is thought to have caught the deadly bug in Britain as authorities scramble to trace anyone she came into contact with.
The Department of Health and Social Care today announced another 46 people in the UK had tested positive as the killer bug rampages across Europe.
In the UK, 321 people have now tested positive for Covid 19.
Boris Johnson today said the UK will almost certainly move to the delay phase of tackling coronavirus.
Mr Johnson said there was "no hiding from the fact that the coronavirus outbreak will present significant challenges for the UK just as it does in other countries."
He added: "But if we continue to look out for one another, to pull together in a united and national effort, I have no doubt that we can and will rise to that challenge."
The UK remains in the "contain" phase of the response to coronavirus "but watching what is happening around the world, our scientists think containment is extremely unlikely to work on its own", he continued.
Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said anyone with cold, flu or a fever symptoms is likely to be asked to stay at home in self-isolation before too long.
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Meanwhile, US authorities are planning to fly home Britons on board the virus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship on Tuesday, the Foreign Office said.
There are 142 British people on the ship, which spent five days stranded off the coast.
Nearly 25,000 people in Britain have been tested for coronavirus, the vast majority testing negative.
The most recent figures show 61 of the UK's confirmed cases are in London, with 43 in the South East, 38 in the South West and 35 in the North West of England.
Another 31 people have tested positive in the Midlands, with 24 in the East of England and 22 in the North East and Yorkshire.
Meanwhile Welsh health authorities confirmed another two cases - taking the total in Wales to six - while Scotland confirmed an additional five, taking the Scottish total to 23.
Yesterday it was revealed a third victim had died from the deadly virus in Britain.
The man in his 60s, who had underlying health problems, died at North Manchester General Hospital having recently returned from Italy.
Staff, patients and their families said they were "scared" after the man died.
A male doctor said: "Apparently he was in a bad way when he came to the hospital. It took hold very quickly and he deteriorated fast. Staff are worried in case it has spread.
"People are just scared for their families but the infectious unit is very secure and staff are used to dealing with this kind of thing."
Mum-of-two Sheila Browne, 34, who was waiting to visit her mum, said: "It is very worrying. My mum is a pensioner so we're worried.
"But hopefully it won't have spread but people at the hospital do look anxious."
KILLER BUG
Public Health England will continue to trace close contacts of anybody diagnosed with Covid-19 in the containment phase, advising them to self-isolate at home to delay the spread of the virus.
Moving to the next delay stage would mean that social distancing measures - such as restricting public gatherings and more widespread advice to stay at home - could be introduced.
One of those who tested positive for the virus yesterday was a healthcare worker at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
A statement on the UHSFT's website said: "A healthcare professional who worked a single nightshift in our surgical high dependency unit on Friday March 6 has tested positive for coronavirus. They are now isolated at home.
"The small number of patients and staff who came into close contact with this individual have been informed and will be appropriately isolated."
Transport for London also confirmed a staff member had tested positive, while a pupil at Rugby School is self-isolating at home after being diagnosed with the virus.
100,000 DEATH FEARS
The jump in cases came after a "worst case scenario" of 100,000 deaths was revealed by overnight.
One official who has been involved in the planning said: "The central estimate of deaths is about 100,000.
"Everyone has been focusing on the worst case but this is what the experts actually expect to happen. Some of those people would have died of other flus."
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Boris Johnson insisted medical advice did not point to "any need for people to buy stuff in" as Brits start to panic buy tinned foods amid fears they will be put into lockdown for 14 days.
The UK government is trying to prepare the public without causing widespread concern, with ministers already nervous about the effect on the economy.
Former Tory chancellor Philip Hammond said the spread of the virus has the potential to push the UK into recession, and suggested it could pose a greater risk to the economy than a no-deal Brexit.
The whole of Italy was tonight put on lockdown as the country tries to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
PM Giuseppe Conte said the "stay at home decree" had been authorised because the country had "no time left" and added all public gatherings would banned.
He said the country's football championship would be stopped and that movements across the country would only be allowed if "absolutely necessary for work or health".
Italy has the highest number of confirmed cases outside of China at 7,375, and its death toll stands at 366.
CORONAVIRUS DEATHS
On Friday an 83-year-old great-grandfather became the second person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.
The victim had been admitted to Milton Keynes Hospital with pneumonia on March 3 and was described as "somebody older" who had "underlying health conditions".
The Sun Online understands 10 members of hospital staff and five patients have been put into isolation following his death.
A source said: "He was coughing excessively and another patient in the ward had complained to a nurse that should be checking him for coronavirus.
"The nurse told him not to worry about it and that he is being dealt with."
The first death came on Thursday when a 75-year-old woman died after testing positive for Covid-19.
Health chiefs said the woman had been suffering underlying health conditions and was "in and out of hospital" before she died at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
The government previously revealed a £46m emergency package to help find a coronavirus vaccine and develop a faster test for the virus.
But there are fears the disease could peak around Easter and last for six months - with millions set to be infected.
Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, warned Britain was at the start of an outbreak.
He said: "We have cases across Europe, across the world, this is a global epidemic and we would expect to see more cases in the UK.
"We've got a reasonable worst-case scenario...that involves 80 per cent of the population and we think the mortality rate is one per cent or lower. I expect it to be less than that.
"It takes about 12 weeks to reach the peak then maybe about 12 weeks to go away again.
"You expect about 90 per cent of cases in the nine weeks in the middle of that and 50 per cent of cases in the three weeks of the middle of that."
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Up until now most cases were in clusters around people who had travelled back to the UK from aboard.
But now - with the rate of cases rocketing - the outbreak from person to person in communities has taken hold.
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Elderly patients are the most vulnerable to the virus, with mortality rates of around nine per cent - one in every 11 people - recorded so far in people aged over 80.
In children and adults aged under 30 the mortality rate plummets to fewer than one in every 500 cases.
The Department of Health said that than 24,500 people have been tested for the virus in the UK.
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