Conner Reed, 26, Who Was The First Brit To Catch Covid And Uploaded Videos Exposing Pandemic From Wuhan, Is Found Dead At His University

Connor Reed, 26, was the first Britisher to catch the deadly coronavirus in Wuhan but he survived

Connor caught Covid in China and uploaded videos online to expose the pandemic. On October 25, Connor, 26, was found dead at his halls of residence at the University of Bangor.

Credit: FACEBOOK/HAYLEY REED

It has been a year since Connor contracted the virus and he appeared upbeat and was enjoying his course.

He was teaching the English language when he caught Covid in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak first began, late last year.

At first, Connor mistook it for bad flu and shrugged it, but he got terribly sick. He spent days bedridden in his apartment before developing a serious cough and being admitted to the hospital.

Though Connor spent months under a strict lockdown in Wuhan, he appeared to recover from the virus. After the lockdown was shifted, he returned to the UK to begin a degree in Chinese and linguistics.

Credit: FACEBOOK/HAYLEY REED

But sadly, Connor was found collapsed on his bedroom floor by his housemates shortly after 10 pm on October 25. He was pronounced dead but his cause of death so far remains unknown.

His father Rod Reed told the Mail: "At first, the police thought he had fallen off a chair in his bedroom (hitting his head on the floor), but the university says not."

"A post-mortem examination has been done because we've got a report from the coroner saying it was inconclusive."

"The only thing they said of interest was that they were doing more tests, but it could be up to 12 weeks before we know anything."

"I did think it might be Covid-related, but then I thought there'd be a tell-tale sign, a cough, or something."

"We may never know the truth, but we have to try to find it. I don't think it was Covid-related, but you never know."

Connor spoke to his dad just two days before his death and Rod says nothing made him think his son was having any problems

His dad said: "I can see why people might think it was suicide, but I can't see it."

"He said the people in his dormitory were nice and he had made friends. He was happy."

"I have never known him to take drugs, and surely that's the first thing they would look for, but they haven't told us they've found any."

The funeral was held on Thursday but since Connors's parents, Rod and wife Hayley now live in Brisbane, Australia, so they had to watch a live stream with sons Morgan, 17, and Oliver, 8.

"You'd think we would have felt disconnected from Connor because we were so far away, but I didn't feel that way at all."

"Afterwards, we had a glass of wine and talked about all the incredible things he did in his life."

Credit: FACEBOOK/HAYLEY REED

Connor's mother Hayley told Sun that "to say Connor had a sense of adventure was an understatement".

“When he told us he was going to learn Chinese we didn't really believe him but he knuckled down and went on his own to China and in a few years was speaking fluent mandarin," she said."

“Over the last six months, he endured a lot of hardship in China contracting Covid and having over 20 weeks lockdown under strict conditions."

“We are both broken-hearted that his adventures came to an end [in] Bangor."

“We will never know where his ambition and drive would have taken him."