Coronavirus: 100,000 British people could die from disease in 'worst-case scenario'

Covid-19 continues to spread across the country with more than 200 confirmed cases of the disease as of this weekend.

Two people who were diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK have died.

The number of cases of the disease in Hampshire has doubled to two – while the first case has been confirmed on the Isle of Wight.

The chair of the Royal College of GPs has said tackling coronavirus will likely lead to hospitals having to cut down on ‘other work’.

Speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Professor Martin Marshall said: ‘This is a significant crisis for the health service and the health service is already under pressure.

‘If we are going to try and continue doing what we are doing at the health service and tackle coronavirus, it will require a significant amount of resources.

‘I expect we will cut down in terms of the other work we do.’

Prof Marshall said projected figures of coronavirus leading to 100,000 deaths in Britain were a ‘worst case scenario’ rather than a certainty.

‘It is difficult because we don't know what the scale of the emergency will be and at the moment some of the figures we are seeing is the worst possible scenario, and we are right to plan for those,’ he said.

‘It is very difficult to tell, we know that about 17,000 people a year die of flu so we know these kind of viruses can be very serious - 100,000 is probably more like a worst case scenario, I expect.’

Prof Marshall said he expects retired doctors and other medical professionals to answer the Government's call to assist with the crisis.

He said: ‘I think it is a good idea as long as we do it carefully, and people are estimating that 20 per cent of the workforce might be out of action at any one time when the crisis reaches its peak - people are talking about some time in late April for that.

‘If that happens then we do need to expand the workforce in whatever way we can.’