A patient being treated with coronavirus at a hospital in Essex has died.
It comes after a further 14 people died across England overnight, taking the total number of deaths in the U.K. to 35.
The elderly patient, who was in her 90’s, died at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and is believed to have had underlying health conditions.
So far a total of 1,372 people have tested positive for the virus in the UK.
A spokesperson for the Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust said: “Sadly, we can confirm that a woman patient in her 90s, with underlying health conditions and who had tested positive for COVID-19 has died.”
“Her family have been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time.”
“The trust, DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care), NHS England and NHS Improvement will not be giving out any further information about this patient.”
“We would ask that you respect the wishes of the family, and the interests of the staff at the hospital to avoid any disruption to operational services.”
There are currently 14 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Essex, out of a local population of 1,477,764 according to the BBC.
The government said they will be giving daily briefings on the virus, led by the Prime Minister or a “senior” minister.
A spokesperson for No.10 said: “The Prime Minister and this Government are committed to keeping the public informed every step of the way about what we’re doing to fight the spread of coronavirus, when we’re doing it and why we’re doing it.”
“At all times, we will be led by the science to bring forward the right responses at the right time to this global pandemic.”
It was also revealed over the weekend that the Government will ask elderly people to self-isolate for up to four months.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people aged over 70 will be asked in the coming weeks to self-isolate for up to four months, in order to protect them from the virus.
He also confirmed that ministers were seeking to give police powers to arrest and forcibly quarantine people who are sick with the virus but are not self-isolating.
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