London - The youngest victim to die after being diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK is believed to be a 13-year-old boy from London.
Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab passed away at King’s College Hospital in the capital on Monday morning.
A fundraising page set up to help pay for funeral costs said he did not have any pre-existing health conditions.
It added Ismail, from Brixton, south London, died without any family members around him due to the highly infectious nature of coronavirus.
The family said: "Ismail started showing symptoms and had difficulties breathing and was admitted to King’s College Hospital. He was put on a ventilator and then put into an induced coma but sadly died yesterday morning. To our knowledge, he had no underlying health conditions. We are beyond devastated."
Mark Stephenson, an academic director at Madinah College in Brixton, where Ismail’s sister is a teacher, started the fundraiser.
He wrote: "Ismail was tested positive for Covid-19. They have not released the body yet, as the coroner wants to do an autopsy – I’m assuming due to his young age and not having underlying conditions."
On Tuesday night, the fundraiser had reached £8 412 (about R88 000) – more than double its initial target of £4 000. The fundraising page states: ‘It is with great sadness to announce that the younger brother of one of our teachers at Madinah College has sadly passed away this morning [Monday] due to being infected with Covid-19.
"Ismail was only 13-years-old without any pre-existing health conditions and sadly he died without any family members close by due to the highly infectious nature of Covid-19."
Meanwhile, a heartbroken daughter told on Tuesday how she lost both her parents to coronavirus within 12 hours. Isobel Vallely, 77, died in Belfast on Saturday, and her husband Christopher, 79, passed away on Sunday morning 12 hours later in the same hospital room. Their 53rd wedding anniversary was last Friday.
Their daughter Fiona Vallely said the sudden loss had shocked the family.
It emerged on Tuesday night that a policeman has died from coronavirus and another is fighting for life. An unnamed 56-year-old custody sergeant from Dorset Police passed away on Monday.
Chief Constable James Vaughan said everyone was "deeply saddened". In Birmingham, Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby is on a ventilator in intensive care as he fights the virus.