Covid-19: First Wigan patient dies of virus, family issues heartbreaking plea for people to self-isolate

A 72-year-old man, whose family have asked that he not be named, died on Sunday morning at Wigan Infirmary. His daughter told Wigan Today that his cause of death was Covid-19.

The man also had underlying health conditions such as asthma and COPD, but his heartbroken daughter said he otherwise lived a normal, healthy life and that "it wasn't his time."

He had contracted the disease while on a holiday to Spain, but was unaware of his condition until shortly after he returned to the UK.

Quarantined in an isolation room during his final hours, his family were unable to properly say goodbye to him, and will not be able to mourn for him at a funeral.

His daughter has today urged Wigan residents to listen to the Government advice on social distancing, and to remain indoors for as long as possible to avoid infecting the most vulnerable people in the borough.

Speaking to Wigan Today, she said: "I just want to shake people and tell them to listen. My dad wasn't poorly, it wasn't his time. I don't work for the NHS and neither do my family, but please go to the hospital talk to the nurses, see the hospital going into lock down, I've seen first hand what is happening.

"We are a very close family, we adored my dad, his grand children adored him my mum is now isolating with me and is also poorly, no doubt she has got the virus but her body is fighting it off. [My dad] died in the cruelest way... on his own."

She explained to Wigan Today: He flew back from Spain unaware he had coronavirus with 250 other passengers on a repatriation flight. The [paramedics] pushed him in a wheelchair to my car and told me to take him home to self isolate. On my drive home he deteriorated so quickly he was unable to breathe and I took him to hospital.

"I beggede them to take him in as otherwise he would die on the seat of my car. This is not scaring people, this is reality. My dad was lucky he qas in a hospital where there are still beds, nurses and ventilators. This won't be the case in a few weeks."

In a social media post, the man's daughter also said: "We [were] not there to hold his hand, to tell him everything was ok, we never got to say goodbye, he died in an isolation room on his own. We can't have a funeral like normal or a wake afterwards, my kids can't be with me to hug me and help me grieve. He was 72 no age, please self isolate if you can and look after your loved ones. The NHS will be at breaking point soon and they need our support and help, I promised them before i would shout this message from the roof tops."

Extensive information on how to help combat Covid-19 can be found at www.gov.uk/coronavirus