This now seems a lifetime ago but Boris Johnson was right when he said on March 12: “I must level with the British public: many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.”

This is proving true for Indians, in particular, the latest coronavirus victims to be named being Rajesh Jayaseelan, a 45-year-old Uber driver who possibly became infected when he picked up a passenger from Heathrow on March 25, and Anusuya Chandra Mohan, whose daughter, a nurse, is “herself fighting for her life in intensive care after her mum died of the same disease”.

At a time when the UK’s death toll has exceeded 14,000, the individual tragedies are being lost.

In the case of Jayaseelan, who died on April 11 in Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, an Indian coronavirus hot spot, the little that is known has been provided by a friend, Sunil Kumar, who has been trying to raise a modest sum for the victim’s family in India.

“Me and Rajesh come from the same locality in Bangalore — he lived in Bannerghatta Road — and have been friends for many years now,” Kumar told The Telegraph. “He was very down to earth, always kept to himself, he was very humble and would go out of his way to help people.

“We helped each other in hard times. I work for the NHS in IT support.”

Kumar’s account continues: “Rajesh was the only son and the sole breadwinner for his family — an extremely hardworking Uber driver.

He is survived by his aged mum, wife and two small boys aged 6 and 4. All of them were completely dependent on Rajesh for their wellbeing and comfort of everyday life, which now looks very uncertain.

“Rajesh moved to London almost a decade ago with the dream of creating a bright future and better life for his family who live in India. While in his most recent stint as an Uber driver he contracted this deadly virus.

“During his final days, Rajesh was thrown out of his apartment in Harrow by his landlord when he got a cough – the landlord shut the front door for fear Rajesh would infect his family. Rajesh was starving in his car for a short while before admitting himself to Northwick Park Hospital on 3rd April. A week later he passed away with no one by his side; neither family nor his friends were aware of his situation until the hospital staff reached out during his final hours.”

Kumar said: “I spoke to the ward nurse and she said he was very, very sick and the chance of survival was fading. I managed to organise video calls to his family, to his wife, mum and kids, and I got to see him on video as well. He was heavily sedated on a ventilator.

A few hours later, the hospital called me to say he had died. Because of the risk of infection there is no chance of the body being sent to India.”

Uber’s regional general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, Jamie Heywood, told The Telegraph in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by this news. Our hearts go out to Rajesh’s loved ones and to everyone suffering during this unprecedented time.”

Uber is said to be supporting Rajesh’s family.

In the case of Anusuya Chandra Mohan, her funeral has been put on hold in the hope her daughter, Jenifer, will be able to bid her mother farewell.

Since it costs money to keep the body in storage, Evelyn Nadar, Jenifer’s nursing colleague at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, has been trying to raise some funds.

Nadar said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Anusuya Chandra Mohan due to Covid19. Anusuy is Jenifer’s mum…. Jenifer is critically ill due to Covid19 and is on ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) support at the Royal Papworth Hospital,

Cambridge. The situation is very grim and hence please continue to uphold her in your prayers for speedy recovery.

“Funerals are always a difficult subject specially at a time when Jenifer is on life support, and the rest of the family in India and the UK are mourning the loss of their loved one, while also remembering Jenifer. We want the family in UK to be able to give Anusuya the send off she deserves…the family’s wishes are for Jenifer to see her mum before she is finally laid to rest. This would mean delaying the funeral and Anusuya remaining at the Chapel of Rest which would come with a cost.”