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| Coronavirus: UK cases rise to 163, government confirms | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The number of coronavirus cases in the UK has now reached 163, the government has confirmed. | The number of coronavirus cases in the UK has now reached 163, the government has confirmed. |
| It is a jump of 48 cases since Thursday - the biggest increase in one day. More than 20,000 people have been tested. | |
| Meanwhile, samples taken from an elderly man who died at Milton Keynes Hospital are currently being investigated for coronavirus. | |
| The BBC understands the man, in his 80s, had underlying health issues but more tests for the virus are ongoing. | |
| The UK's first death linked to the virus came on Thursday, after a woman with underlying health conditions in her 70s died in hospital in Reading. | |
| As well as her death in the UK, a British man also died from the virus last month after being infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan. | As well as her death in the UK, a British man also died from the virus last month after being infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan. |
| The Department of Health said as of 7:00 GMT on Friday, 20,338 people had been tested. | |
| The latest number of confirmed cases comprises 147 cases in England, 11 in Scotland, three in Northern Ireland and two in Wales. | |
| Of the cases in England there are: | |
| In Scotland, there are three cases in Grampian, two in Fife, two in Forth Valley and one each in Lothian, Tayside, Ayrshire & Arran and Greater Glasgow & Clyde. | |
| Earlier, the UK government pledged to spend £46m on urgent work to find a vaccine for the virus - which causes the disease Covid-19 - and develop a rapid test for the disease. | |
| The money will fund work on eight possible vaccines which are already in development as well as a lab in Bedford to try to create a test that could provide results within 20 minutes. | The money will fund work on eight possible vaccines which are already in development as well as a lab in Bedford to try to create a test that could provide results within 20 minutes. |
| Currently, tests take a couple of days to provide results. | Currently, tests take a couple of days to provide results. |
| In other developments: | In other developments: |
| On Thursday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a BBC Question Time audience he was "absolutely confident" food supplies would not run out, amid concerns some people were stockpiling. | |
| But a supermarket executive told the BBC sales of cupboard basics had "gone through the roof" and he was not sure the government could guarantee food supply in all instances. | |
| Meanwhile, the prime minister's official spokesman previously said it was "highly likely the virus is going to spread in a significant way". | |
| The government said the UK was still in the first phase of its four-part plan to tackle the virus outbreak, which is made up of: contain, delay, research and mitigate. | |
| But officials were ramping up work to prepare for the next phase, the PM's spokesman added. | |
| The government is still deciding what measures will be taken in the delay phase, but has previously said this could include banning big events, closing schools, encouraging people to work from home and discouraging the use of public transport. |