British man, 60, who died from coronavirus 'fell ill instantly', his family say

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 24:  A general view of signage and buildings at The North Manchester General Hospital on November 24, 2016 in Manchester, England. A secret report by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust's review of its Royal Oldham and North Manchester General hospitals has been revealed by the Manchester Evening News and lists cases of neglect. The review was carried out after critical reports by the Care Quality Commission and reported  North Manchester General Hospital and Royal Oldham Hospital as inadequate.  (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
The man died at North Manchester General Hospital earlier this month (Getty)

A 60-year-old British man who died from coronavirus last week ‘fell ill instantly’, according to his family.

The unidentified man died at North Manchester General Hospital on Sunday after coming back from a trip to northern Italy at the end of February, his son told BBC Bangla.

According to his son, the man was a UK national originally from Bangladesh who was taken to hospital after going to a local health centre for a routine appointment.

After he was diagnosed with coronavirus, the rest of his family were told to self-isolate.

A sign indicating a Coronavirus Pod is seen outside the London University College Hospital, in London, Friday, March 6, 2020. Fearing a possible shortage in protective equipment, health ministers from the European Union are holding an emergency meeting to try to improve their collective response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A total of six UK nationals have died from coronavirus so far (AP)

The son, who was also not named, said he rang the hospital regularly for updates on his father, who had arthritis and heart problems, and then received a phone call saying he had died.

He told BBC Bangla: “Obviously I could not believe it because two months ago this thing didn’t even exist and today it took away my father.

“It took me quite a long time to process the whole thing that I’m not going to be able to see him any more.”

Read more: How long before coronavirus symptoms show and what are they? New research provides the answers

The patient, from Greater Manchester, was the third person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.

A spokesman for the hospital said: “We can confirm that sadly a patient being treated for Covid-19 has died at our specialist regional infectious diseases unit at North Manchester General Hospital.

“The man in his 60s tested positive after travelling to Italy and had a number of underlying health problems.

“Our thoughts are with the patient’s family who are being supported by our specialist bereavement staff.”

The latest figures show that 373 people in the UK are now confirmed to have Covid-19 as of 9am on Tuesday, up from 319 the day before, and six people have died in British hospitals.

The increase is the second biggest day-on-day rise, and mirrors Monday’s 17% increase.

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.

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