Coronavirus: Third person dies after being diagnosed with Covid-19 in the UK

Cases of Covid-19 skyrocketed over the weekend, from one confirmed case on Friday to eight on Sunday.

Across the country the number of people testing positive for coronavirus rose to 273.

As of 9am on Sunday, a total of 23,513 people have been tested for disease and 23,240 have come back negative.

A 60-year-old man became the third person to die after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK.

The man, who had underlying health problems, died at North Manchester General Hospital having recently returned from Italy.

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 sixties 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.’

Find out more about the symptoms of coronavirus here.

Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty added: ‘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.’

British tourists have now been warned to avoid all but essential travel to a swathe of northern Italy under a coronavirus quarantine, including the popular destinations of Milan and Venice.