First Briton Who Contracted COVID-19 Dies In ‘Tragic Accident’

The first British man known to have contracted coronavirus has died following a “tragic accident” at his university in Wales, his mother has said.

Connor Reed, from Llandudno in North Wales, had been working at a school in Wuhan when he contracted the virus last December.

He initially thought it was a cold, before it developed into a serious cough and one morning he woke up struggling to breathe, telling Sky News in March: “That’s where it scared me. And I couldn’t take a full breath.”

His mother Hayley said he had never got over the “hardship” of contracting coronavirus after he was forced to spend 20 weeks in lockdown.

Announcing his death last weekend in a Facebook post, she wrote: “Our beautiful son Connor Reed has passed away in a tragic accident at Bangor University at the weekend.

“He will be so greatly missed by his brothers, family and friends.

“He had such a wonderful smile, enthusiasm and love for life. We are blessed to of had you in our lives if only for a very short time. Rest in peace our darling.”

She told The Sun: “We will not be able to attend his funeral in the UK due to the coronavirus restrictions, therefore we will make sure we all celebrate his life at his home in Australia.”

“Regrettably, despite the best efforts of friends and paramedics, a 26-year-old student year male student was pronounced dead at the location.

“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends following this tragic death of a young student, and we request that their privacy is respected.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and the coroner for North West Wales, Mr Dewi Pritchard Jones has been informed.”