Daughter of Chatham man who died of Covid before virus was recognised in UK calls for her dad to be known as Britain s first victim
Published: 06:00, 10 March 2021
The daughter of a man who died of Covid in the Medway Towns before the virus had been recognised in the UK, has called for her father to be officially acknowledged as Britain s first coronavirus victim.
Peter Attwood, 84, a retired accountant from Walderslade, passed away on January 30 last year at Medway Maritime Hospital after falling ill before Christmas with a cough and fever.
Peter and wife Jean Attwood
On the request of Jane Buckland, after studying her dad s symptoms, she asked for a post-mortem report which confirmed after lung tissue was examined that he had died from Covid-19.
Getty Images / WIRED
The manâs condition was already dire when he arrived at the hospital in Belgrade, Serbia. He was coughing, short of breath, and had a high fever of 39.2°C. Doctors and nurses quickly tested the oxygen levels in his blood â they were way down. Although they intubated the man, hooking his lungs up to a mechanical ventilator, he died just a few hours later.
It is a sequence of events that, sadly, has unfolded time and time again throughout the pandemic. Except that this man died on February 5, 2020, before any Covid-19 deaths were officially confirmed in Europe. Before the name âCovid-19â even existed. Back then, the manâs doctors had no idea what had killed him. They put the fatality down to pneumonia of an unknown cause.
Covid-19: one year on from first death in London
Piccadilly Circus station during London COVID-19 lockdown. Pic: Kwh1050
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has sent thoughts and prayers to families and friends of more than 14,000 Londoners who died because of Covid-19, as the capital marked the anniversary of the first Coronavirus death.
“Today marks one year since we lost the first Londoner with a confirmed case of COVID. It’s been a year of sorrow and grief for so many people across London and the UK.” London Mayor, Sadiq Khan said on March 4.
Today marks one year since we lost the first Londoner with a confirmed case of COVID. It’s been a year of sorrow and grief for so many people across London and the UK.