JUST hours after a fourth patient in the UK with coronavirus was confirmed to have died, a fifth has been reported.

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Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has said this evening a patient in their 70s with underlying health conditions has passed away with COVID-19.

It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed this afternoon a patient in Wolverhamptom had died.

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That case was also a person in their 70s with underlying health conditions.

There are currently five cases of coronavirus in Oxfordshire as the numbers infected nationally continues to surge.

In the latest national figures from the Department of Health and Social Care, as of 9am today, 24,960 people have been tested in the UK, of which 319 were confirmed as positive.

This is up from the 273 cases yesterday and of these 43 are in the South East.

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Three other patients have died with COVID-19, one in Reading, one in Milton Keynes and one in Greater Manchester.

Public Health England is publishing data by upper tier local authority daily but is not revealing exact locations. 

This was has now been updated with Oxfordshire still reporting five cases.

Oxford University has confirmed one of its students has tested positive for the disease and is self-isolating. 

Oxford Mail:

In an email to staff and students on Saturday night Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson said: "I am constrained in what I can say at the moment, but I am glad to report that the student self-isolated as soon as they developed symptoms and did not attend any college events after they felt ill."

The University head said due to this PHE has advised that the risk to other students and staff is 'very low' and college activities could continue. 

She continued: "They have also advised that we do not need to take any more additional public health actions in light of this case."

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The first Oxfordshire patients were diagnosed on Thursday, with Public Health England and Oxfordshire County Council officials saying at the time those cases were associated with foreign travel and are not linked.

As the virus continues to spread there have been cases of panic buying across the county, with hand sanitiser and toilet roll shelves often empty in recent days.

Oxford Mail:

Current evidence indicates that most cases of the coronavirus appear to be mild, with patients experiencing flu-like symptoms.

Older residents, those with weakened immune systems or long-term conditions are likely to experience more severe symptoms and develop complications.