Nottinghamshire woman, 75, may be first known UK Covid victim

Scientific analysis suggests coronavirus was spreading in UK weeks earlier than thought

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Scientists believe a 75-year-old woman from Nottinghamshire was the first known person to catch coronavirus in the UK and the earliest to die from it, as research shows the disease was circulating widely in communities in early February.

Samples analysed by the University of Nottingham show the unnamed woman, who had an underlying health condition, tested positive for the virus on 21 February.