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Two people who have been infected with coronavirus have been taken to an isolated unit within Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

The pair, who caught the virus on the Diamond Princess liner in Japan, were flown to Sheffield on Saturday after contracting the COVID-19 strain of the virus which has killed more than 2,000 people across the globe.

In a statement on Facebook on Sunday night, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals said: "We are caring for two patients with Coronavirus #COVID-19 in our specialist Infectious Diseases Unit at the Hallamshire Hospital.

"There is no risk to other patients or visitors coming to any of our hospitals because the Unit is self contained with a dedicated team of specialists and the patients have not been cared for in any other areas of our hospitals or community services.

"All our services are operating as normal and patients should attend their appointments or procedures as planned. Visiting arrangements are also not affected."

Sheffield’s infectious diseases unit is one of just five in the UK, with two in London and one each in Newcastle and Liverpool.

However, it is understood that this is the first time patients suffering from coronavirus have been treated in Sheffield.

How will they be treated?





The first thing to note is that there is no cure for the coronavirus. Those who have contracted the virus must ideally be isolated and quarantined to avoid it being spread further.

Coronaviruses were first discovered in the 1960s and although there have been various outbreaks in the 21st century, this latest strand, which originated in Wuhan, China, has been the deadliest with the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions the most at risk of succumbing to the virus.

Coronavirus sufferers typically complain of symptoms akin to the common cold or flu; such as a cough, a fever and breathing difficulties.

Antibiotics cannot be prescribed to help treat the virus and instead, patients have to wait for their bodies to fight off the disease with recovering depending on the strength of their immune system.

According to the NHS website, the infectious diseases unit, which is on the E-Floor at Hallamshire Hospital, has 33 dedicated beds, of which over half are single negative pressure isolation rooms with en-suite facilities.

These are rooms which allow air to flow into the room but not escape, meaning any contaminated air is contained within the isolated room.

How to protect yourself from the coronavirus

(Image: PA)





After the outbreak of coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) set out a list of basic protective measures to give you the best possible chance of not contracting the virus.

These include:

Washing your hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.

Covering your mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when coughing and sneezing.

Maintaining at least a one metre distance between yourself and other people particularly those who are coughing, sneezing and showing signs of a fever.

Avoiding touching the eyes, nose and mouth.