Coronavirus: Three more nurses die after testing positive for COVID-19

Three more nurses have died after testing positive for COVID-19, with the number of NHS staff deaths now surpassing 30.

The nurses worked in London, Worcestershire and South Wales, and had all contracted coronavirus, although it is not known if they caught the virus while working.

Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust confirmed Sara Trollope, a nurse employed by the trust, died at Watford General Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

Mrs Trollope had worked at Hillingdon Hospital, in west London, and has been praised for her work with older people with dementia.

Paying tribute to the mother-of-four, medical director Dr Paul Hopper said: “Sara had that unbeatable combination of kindness, selflessness and total determination to get things right for patients. She was an example to every one of us.”

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed the death of nurse Julie Omar, who had been self-isolating due to COVID-19 symptoms.

The 52-year-old was an experienced nurse who had been working at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital.

Trust chief executive Matthew Hopkins said: “It is with great sorrow that I have to share with you the sad news that a much-loved member of our nursing team – Julie Omar – has died.”

And Gareth Roberts, who had been been working as a nurse since the 1980s, died after testing positive for the virus, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said.

Two porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford have also died after testing positive.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said on Saturday that both men were married to nursing staff at the hospital.

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Dr Bruno Holthof, chief executive officer, and Sir Jonathan Montgomery, chair of the Trust, said: “This tragic loss of our two colleagues touches us all.

“We are a team and every single member of our team is precious. We all need each other and we stand together in honouring the memories of our colleagues.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock paid tribute to those who had died on Saturday.

He said: “My heart goes out to their families, these are people who have put themselves on the front line.

“The work is going on to establish whether they caught coronavirus in the line of duty while at work or whether, like so many other people, caught it in the rest of their lives.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Three more nurses die after testing positive for COVID-19