Coronavirus: 5-year-old child with underlying health conditions among latest to die

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A five-year-old with underlying health conditions has become the youngest person to die with coronavirus in the UK.

The child was one of 637 patients in England whose death was confirmed by the NHS on Saturday afternoon.

Cabinet secretary Michael Gove opened the daily press conference by paying his respects.

He said: “Our thoughts today are also with the family of the five-year-old child with underlying health conditions who’s tragically died.”

The previous youngest known victim was an apparently health 13-year-old boy, Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, who died in hospital on Monday.

Ismail’s funeral was held on Friday without any of his immediate family present because they were in self-isolation after two of his siblings began displaying symptoms.

NHS England did not give any further detail about the five-year-old child other than to indicate they were among the patients with underlying health conditions.

It came as the Department of Health announced the UK death toll, as of 5pm on Friday, had risen by 708 in 24 hours to 4,313. It was the largest daily rise so far.

Nearly 42,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19, out of a total of 183,190 people tested.

London remains the worst-hit NHS area, with 10,724 cases, followed by the Midlands on 6,127. The North East, the North West and the South East have each recorded just over 4,000 cases.