A third coronavirus-related death has occurred in the UK, the Department of Health has confirmed.

England’s chief medical officer said the person was a man over 60 and had “significant” underlying health conditions.

He was being treated at North Manchester General Hospital.

Professor Chris Whitty said in a statement late on Sunday: “I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected.

“[The person] had recently travelled from an infected area. Contact tracing is already underway.”

A spokesman for North Manchester General Hospital said: “We can confirm that sadly a patient being treated for Covid-19 has died at our specialist regional infectious diseases unit at North Manchester General Hospital.

“The man in his 60s tested positive after travelling to Italy and had a number of underlying health problems. Our thoughts are with the patient’s family who are being supported by our specialist bereavement staff.”

The third fatality in Britain came after the country saw its biggest single-day rise in infections, with the figure surging past 270. More than 23,500 people have been tested.

Meanwhile, a worker at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust has tested positive for coronavirus. A statement on the trust’s website said: “A healthcare professional who worked a single nightshift in our surgical high dependency unit on Friday, 6 March has tested positive for coronavirus. They are now isolated at home.

“The small number of patients and staff who came into close contact with this individual have been informed and will be appropriately isolated. “The surgical high dependency unit is temporarily closed to new admissions. Any patient affected by the temporary closure will be contacted directly.

Also on Sunday, the Foreign Office advised Britons against all but essential travel to parts of northern Italy including the popular destinations of Venice and Milan.

A swathe of the southern European country is under lockdown, with stringent measures affecting some 16 million people as Rome attempts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Around the world, nearly 110,000 people have contracted the disease and 3,800 have died. About 61,000 have recovered.