Coronavirus: Woman becomes latest British person to die after contracting virus

A 53-year-old woman who was already "critically ill" has become the latest British person to die after contracting coronavirus.

The woman died in Indonesia, its health ministry said. She is the first person to die after testing positive for COVID-19 in the country.

A spokesperson said she was "critically ill" when she was diagnosed with the disease.

Achmad Yurianto, the government spokesman on efforts to contain the coronavirus, said the woman had diabetes and lung disease and had contracted the virus abroad.

Yurianto, who did not initially reveal the patient's nationality, said her husband will be repatriated soon. The Foreign Office has said it is supporting the family.

The spokesman said two of Indonesia's 27 cases have recovered. More than 119,000 people worldwide have contracted the virus, with more than half of those recovered. The virus causes mild illness for most people but can severe in older people and those with existing health problems.

The latest death of a Briton from the disease comes after six people have died in the UK, and 382 people are now confirmed to have Covid-19 in the UK – up from 319 the day before.

The NHS in England has said it is "ramping up" testing facilities so that 10,000 coronavirus tests can be performed each day.

The most recent patient death in the UK 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 80s and had underlying health conditions.

Meanwhile, the British Medical Association warned that routine health checks by GPs could be halted to "focus on the sickest patients" if the outbreak worsens.

Richard Vautrey, chairman of the BMA GPs committee, told the BBC that this could lead to increased waiting times for patients with mild health conditions.

It comes as the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) criticised the Government for being "insufficiently focused" on GP surgeries amid the outbreak.

Professor Martin Marshall told Londonwide LMCs conference on Tuesday he had been inundated by emails from concerned GPs.

"General practice is going to start feeling the pressure probably in quite a significant way," he said.

Also on Tuesday, Italy extended coronavirus travel restrictions to the whole country, with soldiers and police enforcing the bans.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK amended its advice to warn against all but essential travel to Italy.

Public Health England (PHE) said anyone flying back to the UK from Italy - and those returning from the US cruise ship - would be told to self-isolate at home if they have no symptoms.

Additional reporting by agencies