A Bangladesh-origin man in his 60s has become the third patient to die after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, reports bdnews24.com citing BBC Bangla.
He passed away at a hospital in Manchester after recently returning from a trip to Italy -- Europe's coronavirus hotbed, according to NHS England.
"I am very sorry to report that a third patient in England who tested positive for Covid-19 has sadly died. I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected," The Guardian quotes England’s chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty as saying.
“The patient, who was being treated at the North Manchester General Hospital, was over 60 years old and had significant underlying health conditions.They had recently travelled from an affected area. Contact tracing is already under way.”
Speaking to BBC Bangla, the victim's son said he had been suffering from a combination of high cholestrol, arthritis, heart condition, ashthma and other respiratory problems. Even though he was not 100 per cent healthy, the man had been in reasonably good health prior to his death, according to his son.
But he died just five days after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus infection. He migrated to Italy from Bangladesh in 1989 before settling in a town near the country's border with Switzerland, about 50km away from Milan.
He moved to the UK about four or five years ago but would nevertheless visit Italy every year.
This year, he made the trip to Italy in the middle of February before returning to Manchester on Feb 29.
"He was healthy when he got back but his condition deteriorated three days later," said his son.
The man was rushed to the local health centre after he fell sick on Mar 3 and was kept in isolation after physicians were informed that he had recently visited Italy. He was later transferred to North Manchester General Hospital.
"He was doing quite well during his first few days in hospital. But then doctors said there wasn't enough oxygen in his blood while his heartbeat became irregular. This went on for a few more days before he passed away on Sunday," added his son, who, along with the rest of his family, are also staying in isolation.
