GP, 76, 'becomes first UK doctor to die after contracting coronavirus'

A GP is thought to have become the first doctor in the UK to have died after contracting coronavirus.

Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, died at Southend Hospital in Essex 24 hours after being taken ill on Tuesday, the BBC reported.

Tests have not yet confirmed that he died of Covid-19 but his daughter, Dr Sarah Zaidi, also a GP, said he showed “textbook symptoms” of the virus.

She told the BBC: “For that to be the thing that took him is too much to bear.

“It is reflective of his sacrifice.”

Dr Zaidi, who worked as a GP in Leigh-on-Sea, had reportedly been self-isolating and not seen patients in person for about a week.

If tests results confirm he had the novel covoronavirus, he would be the first doctor in the UK to die after contracting it.

His daughter added that her family could "not mourn in the normal way" as they cannot have a "normal funeral".

"He left a gaping hole in our hearts, but a loss that is also felt within the community that he devoted almost his entire life to," she said.

"We are praying for the safety of everyone right now."

Read more

How is the UK preparing for coronavirus?

How to self-isolate- if you are asked to

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

Can hand sanitiser gel protect against coronavirus?