The wife of a man believed to be the youngest victim of coronavirus in the UK has spoken of her heartbreak.

Mary Matthews said her 59-year-old husband Nick died on Saturday morning after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Mr Matthews, from Nailsea in Bristol, had underlying health conditions.

“Today at 3am I lost my life partner and soul mate but most of all my best friend,” Mrs Matthews wrote on Facebook.

“Charlotte, Ben and I are beyond proud to have had such a big character in our lives,” she said, referencing the pair’s adult children.

“As a family we are still currently in isolation until the coronavirus test results come back. Someone will post again when we have more information.

“In the meantime, I know some of you would like to visit, but please for you and your families safety, stay away until we get the all clear.”

In a statement, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said: “Sadly, we can confirm that a man who was being cared for at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and had tested positive for COVID-19, has died.”

There have now been 35 coronavirus-related deaths in the UK. All the victims, aged between 59 and 94, had underlying health conditions, according to NHS England.

There are now 1,372 confirmed infections in the UK, while the number of people tested has risen to 40,279 with 38,907 testing negative.

It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News that over-70s would be asked to self-isolate “in the coming weeks”.

Mr Hancock also told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that the UK was likely to need “many more times” the current 5,000 ventilators, amid concerns hospitals will come under intense pressure.

He said the growing virus outbreak meant “the elderly and vulnerable” would be asked to “shield themselves by self-isolating”.

When pushed on whether they could be asked to isolate for up to four months, he said: “That is in the action plan, yes.

“And we will be setting it out in more detail when that’s the right time to do so, because we appreciate it is a very big ask of the elderly and vulnerable, and it’s for their own self-protection.”

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