Coronavirus epidemic planning is running at "full tilt", England's top health chief has said, after the country saw its first patient death and the number of confirmed cases surged into triple figures.
Professor Chris Whitty confirmed the UK is moving into the second phase of its virus battle plan, as he warned the NHS could run out of intensive care beds at the peak of a likely epidemic.
Prof Whitty said there was now a “very slim to zero” chance of halting the virus globally, and that Britain was moving into a “mainly delay” response to slow its spread. It comes as a patient with underlying health problems became the UK's first Covid-19 fatality.
In other news, a cruise ship carrying 3,500 people is being held off the coast of California following the death of a former passenger, and the total number of cases in Italy approaches 4,000.
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