© Other Alice Kit Tak Ong worked as a nurse for 44 years. Pic: Melissa Ong

A "dedicated" NHS nurse who had worked for the health service for 44 years has died after contracting coronavirus.

Alice Kit Tak Ong, 70, passed away at the Royal Free Hospital in London on Tuesday after it was thought she contracted COVID-19 while working in a doctor's surgery without the correct protective equipment.

She had initially self-isolated but had to be taken to the hospital when her coronavirus symptoms worsened.

The nurse arrived in the country in the 1970s from Hong Kong and began working for the NHS as soon as she was able to, and was still working full-time until her death.

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Speaking to The Guardian, her daughter Melissa Ong said she was "completely dedicated" and spent her life helping others.

She said: "We don't know for sure when she contracted it, but she was working without protective equipment.

"We've accepted it, she was doing what she loved."

© PA Ms Ong died at the Royal Free Hospital in London

The family were unable to visit the nurse due to the current lockdown restrictions, but her daughter praised the staff caring for her mother.

"The nurses and doctors were fantastic throughout. They kept us in touch right up to the last moment so she could hear us over the phone," she said.

"I knew she was in good hands, and they were with her in her last moments."

"She had a very good heart and very generous personality. Everybody loved her. She always believed in the good in people."

It is thought more than a dozen front line healthcare workers have now died after contracting coronavirus.

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading - here is what you can and can't do. If you think you have the virus, don't go to the GP or hospital, stay indoors and get advice online. Only call NHS 111 if you cannot cope with your symptoms at home; your condition gets worse; or your symptoms do not get better after seven days. In parts of Wales where 111 isn't available, call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. In Scotland, anyone with symptoms is advised to self-isolate for seven days. In Northern Ireland, call your GP.