Nurse, 49, dies of coronavirus in Cumbria

A nurse and father of four has died of coronavirus in Cumbria.

The agency staff nurse, who was 49 and from London, had been receiving critical care for a number of weeks.

He died on Sunday afternoon at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, leaving behind a wife and four children.

He is the first health worker to die of Covid-19 in the Border region.

Lyn Simpson, the Chief Executive of North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said: "The individual will be sorely missed by his wife, four children, brothers and sisters and we are liaising with them and offering them our deepest condolences and sympathies at this difficult time.

"The nurse worked at the Cumberland Infirmary for a short time last month. Even though he had been with us for a short time, he was very much part of the team and his loss is a huge shock to the organisation.

"At the request of the family, there will be no further information released and we would ask that the wishes of the family are respected."

A number of frontline NHS staff have already paid the ultimate price during the crisis.

The number of healthcare workers verified by the PA news agency to have died so far had risen to 63 by Monday, and there are a further 14 which are yet to be verified.

These include people who worked in a range of hospital roles from porters and domestic workers to doctors and nurses.

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