County Tyrone man in UK dies of from COVID-19

A Northern Irish man has died in the English town of Yorkshire after he contracted Covid-19.

Leonard Gibson, 78, originally from County Tyrone, died on Tuesday from complications arising from Coronavirus.

He had been suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a lung disease that restricts airflow and causes long-term breathing problems, for many years.

Last week, Gibson finished a course of antibiotics after feeling unwell.

He was admitted to a hospital in Sheffield after testing positive for Covid-19 on Saturday but passed away on Tuesday, becoming the first person in South Yorkshire to succumb to the virus.

His daughters paid tribute to their late father and described him as a "kind, loving, generous, crazy and fun-loving" man.

Lisa Broughton and Michelle Lenton said that their dad was a "jolly Irishman who made everyone smile."

They both thanked the NHS staff for their tireless work trying to save their father's life.

They told Yorkshire Live that the staff had made their lives much easier in the last days of Gibson's life.

“We are very grateful to all the Northern General Hospital staff that helped our Dad during this difficult time, they dealt with us sensitively and efficiently and we felt constantly reassured by their kind words.

"We have nothing but praise for the NHS and our dad’s treatment, especially the kindness that everyone showed us. They really went the extra mile for dad and our family.

"For example when we could not be there in person, we rang lots of times to see how he was.

"Even though they were probably very busy, every member of staff took time to talk to us in detail but more importantly they made sure dad knew each time that we had phoned and that we had said we loved him. A small thing but so important to us at that time.”