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First British Death From Coronavirus Confirmed

First British Death From Coronavirus Confirmed

This brings the number of passengers to have died from the virus up to six

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

The first British death from coronavirus has been confirmed.

According to reports in Japan, a man has died from the disease he contracted while aboard the Diamond Princess, a ship struck down by an outbreak earlier this year.

The BBC reports that Japan's Health Ministry confirmed the death.

This brings the number of the vessel's passengers to have died from the virus up to six.

The ship, which was quarantined off the coast of Japan, has recorded more than 600 coronavirus infections.

This comes after a female passenger, said to be in her 70s, was reported as the ship's fifth death.

The Diamond Princess liner was carrying 3,700 people, including 78 Brits, when a male passenger disembarked at Hong Kong and trusted positive for the deadly disease.

PA

Last weekend (Sunday, February 23), it was announced that four British passengers had also tested positive after they arrived at a UK quarantine centre.

Speaking at the time, Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England said: "Four further patients in England have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to thirteen.

"The virus was passed on in the Diamond Princess cruise ship and the patients are being transferred from Arrowe Park to specialist NHS infection centres."

In total, 32 Brits were sent to the Hospital in the Wirral following a fortnight being quarantined on The Diamond Princess.

Guests at a hotel in Spain have been struck down by the illness.
h10hotels

This comes after news was confirmed this week that the disease had begun to spread through Europe, with hotel guests in Spain falling ill.

An Italian doctor and his wife who had been staying at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace had already been transferred to Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria University Hospital.

Two other Italians, who were part of the group of 10 holidaymakers that flew to the island on 17 February, were quarantined in the same hospital late yesterday (25 February) after testing positive.

News of the fresh cases came as hundreds of tourists were told they must remain in the hotel at the centre of the coronavirus scare.

A spokesman for the regional health authority said: "We can confirm two more positives in Tenerife. They're members of the group of Italian nationals that travelled to the island together who were in direct contact with the first two cases."

The decision to put the hotel on lock-down was announced by regional health chiefs and Canary Islands president Angel Victor Torres on Tuesday night at a press conference.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Science, Interesting, Health