Family of man, 60, who became the third British coronavirus victim to die claim they were barred from saying goodbye because he was in isolation, as the death toll hits six
- Patient in coronavirus quarantine died on Sunday to become Britain’s third death
- The 60-year-old’s family claimed they were not able to say goodbye to him
- He died at North Manchester General Hospital after coming back from Italy
- His family were unable to visit him in hospital as he was being kept in isolation
The family of a patient who died in coronavirus quarantine have claimed they were not able to say goodbye because he was in isolation.
The son of a 60-year-old man who died after being diagnosed with coronavirus and became the third British fatality said he fell ill ‘instantly’.
He died at North Manchester General Hospital on Sunday, five days after coming back from a trip to northern Italy at the end of February, his son told BBC Bangla.
His family could not visit him in hospital as he battled the disease because he was in isolation.
The unnamed man was being treated at North Manchester General Hospital’s specialist regional unit for infectious diseases and had ‘significant underlying health conditions’.
On Tuesday heath officials announced 61 more patients in Britain have caught the killer infection, taking the total number of cases to 382 and fatalities to six.
The male patient was being treated at North Manchester General Hospital (pictured) and had ‘significant underlying health conditions’ when he died on Sunday
Tourists wearing face masks walking across the Millennium footbridge backdropped by the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Tuesday
Yesterday the son of the patient, a British national originally from Bangladesh, had fallen ill ‘instantly’ and was taken to hospital after going to a local health centre for a routine appointment.
The rest of the family were told to self-isolate, he said.
The son, who was 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.
‘When they broke the news to me that he passed away, obviously I could not believe it. We all burst into tears.
‘I can’t express how it feels to know that I won’t be able to see him again.’
The patient, from Greater Manchester, was the third person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.
People have been wearing face masks to ride the tube in London as the number of cases went over 380 and the death toll rose to six
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.’
Similarly the family of the second victim of the virus in Britain also said they were unable to arrange their relative’s funeral as they were in isolation.
A man in his early 80s who also had underlying health conditions became the UK’s sixth coronavirus victim on Tuesday.
NHS bosses confirmed the man – who has not been identified but is feared to have been infected on British soil – died at the Watford General Hospital.
Scientists tracking the UK’s outbreak, which has risen eight-fold in the space of a week, have warned the situation is quickly following the same trajectory as Italy’s and could peak within a fortnight.