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More than 70 workers at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London have tested positive for coronavirus.

Some 181 staff members at the children's hospital have so far been tested, of which 73 were found to have the virus.

Around 315 workers are also now self-isolating at home, although the hospital insists this has not impacted its services.

Great Ormond Street itself has eight confirmed Covid-19 patients in its care at the moment.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 50 show all Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1/50 Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA 2/50 An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA 3/50 Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons 4/50 Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images 5/50 Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters 6/50 Captain Tom Moore via Reuters 7/50 Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA 8/50 An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters 9/50 Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA 10/50 Tobias Weller PA 11/50 Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed 12/50 London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle 13/50 A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA 14/50 Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters 15/50 A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters 16/50 General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters 17/50 Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 18/50 A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images 19/50 A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA 20/50 Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA 21/50 Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA 22/50 A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images 23/50 People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA 24/50 Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA 25/50 Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters 26/50 Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn 27/50 Westminster Bridge is deserted PA 28/50 A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA 29/50 An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn 30/50 Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images 31/50 A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA 32/50 The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA 33/50 A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 34/50 Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA 35/50 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters 36/50 The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA 37/50 Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA 38/50 A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters 39/50 Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images 40/50 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images 41/50 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 42/50 A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images 43/50 Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA 44/50 A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA 45/50 A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images 46/50 A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com 47/50 A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 48/50 A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images 49/50 A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA 50/50 Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images 1/50 Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA 2/50 An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA 3/50 Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons 4/50 Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images 5/50 Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters 6/50 Captain Tom Moore via Reuters 7/50 Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA 8/50 An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters 9/50 Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA 10/50 Tobias Weller PA 11/50 Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed 12/50 London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle 13/50 A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA 14/50 Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters 15/50 A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters 16/50 General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters 17/50 Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 18/50 A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images 19/50 A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA 20/50 Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA 21/50 Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA 22/50 A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images 23/50 People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA 24/50 Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA 25/50 Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters 26/50 Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn 27/50 Westminster Bridge is deserted PA 28/50 A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA 29/50 An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn 30/50 Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images 31/50 A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA 32/50 The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA 33/50 A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters 34/50 Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA 35/50 Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters 36/50 The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA 37/50 Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA 38/50 A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters 39/50 Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images 40/50 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images 41/50 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 42/50 A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images 43/50 Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA 44/50 A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA 45/50 A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images 46/50 A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com 47/50 A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn 48/50 A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images 49/50 A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA 50/50 Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images

A spokesman for the hospital said: "We continue to monitor Covid-19 related staff absence carefully which currently equates to six per cent of our workforce and are able to fully staff all of the services we have planned to run at this time.”

The Bloomsbury based centre is one of the world's leading children's hospitals and is the largest clinic for child heart surgery in the UK.

The news comes as the Government faces sustained criticism that NHS workers do not have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep them safe while they treat patients with the infectious disease.

Great Ormond Street Hospital through the ages 15 show all Great Ormond Street Hospital through the ages 1/15 TV puppet Basil Brush entertains children at GOSH in January 1974 Getty/Hulton Archive 2/15 Staff nurse Rowena Joseph tends to a patient in February 1979 Getty/Hulton Archive 3/15 Child patients gather on an old balcony at the hospital, weeks after the end of the Second World War in Europe. GOSH was badly damaged during the blitz and relied on philanthropy for a rebuilding project Getty/Hulton Archive 4/15 Members of the public surround a stall at a fete held in 1909 to raise money for Great Ormond Street Getty/Hulton Archive 5/15 Young GOSH patients play with presents 10 days before Christmas in 1932 Getty/Hulton Archive 6/15 British F1 driver James Hunt meets children on February 3, 1977 Getty/Hulton Archive 7/15 The Hospital for Sick Children, as it was then known, shortly after it opened in 1852 Getty/Hulton Archive 8/15 One of Great Ormond Street's earliest patients, a young girl pictured in about 1867 Getty/Hulton Archive 9/15 A young boy has his hearing tested in August 1954. Patients would be checked in a soundproofed room where they were asked to press buttons in response to sounds being broadcast through a loudspeaker Getty/Hulton Archive 10/15 A GOSH patient is fed honey sent to the hospital as a gift from Buenos Aires in 1943 Getty/Hulton Archive 11/15 An old ward of the hospital pictured in 1949 Getty/Hulton Archive 12/15 A young patients opens his stocking early following Blitz air raids 1940 Getty/Hulton Archive 13/15 A nurse cares for a young girl at the hospital in 1913 Getty/Hulton Archive 14/15 Well-known '40s dancer Alma Jones gives presents to a young GOSH patients on a Christmas visit in 1945 Getty/Hulton Archive 15/15 Patients and staff pose for pictures in December 1913 Getty/Hulton Archive 1/15 TV puppet Basil Brush entertains children at GOSH in January 1974 Getty/Hulton Archive 2/15 Staff nurse Rowena Joseph tends to a patient in February 1979 Getty/Hulton Archive 3/15 Child patients gather on an old balcony at the hospital, weeks after the end of the Second World War in Europe. GOSH was badly damaged during the blitz and relied on philanthropy for a rebuilding project Getty/Hulton Archive 4/15 Members of the public surround a stall at a fete held in 1909 to raise money for Great Ormond Street Getty/Hulton Archive 5/15 Young GOSH patients play with presents 10 days before Christmas in 1932 Getty/Hulton Archive 6/15 British F1 driver James Hunt meets children on February 3, 1977 Getty/Hulton Archive 7/15 The Hospital for Sick Children, as it was then known, shortly after it opened in 1852 Getty/Hulton Archive 8/15 One of Great Ormond Street's earliest patients, a young girl pictured in about 1867 Getty/Hulton Archive 9/15 A young boy has his hearing tested in August 1954. Patients would be checked in a soundproofed room where they were asked to press buttons in response to sounds being broadcast through a loudspeaker Getty/Hulton Archive 10/15 A GOSH patient is fed honey sent to the hospital as a gift from Buenos Aires in 1943 Getty/Hulton Archive 11/15 An old ward of the hospital pictured in 1949 Getty/Hulton Archive 12/15 A young patients opens his stocking early following Blitz air raids 1940 Getty/Hulton Archive 13/15 A nurse cares for a young girl at the hospital in 1913 Getty/Hulton Archive 14/15 Well-known '40s dancer Alma Jones gives presents to a young GOSH patients on a Christmas visit in 1945 Getty/Hulton Archive 15/15 Patients and staff pose for pictures in December 1913 Getty/Hulton Archive

Former World Health Organisation director Anthony Costello first revealed the figures on Thursday, tweeting that he had received an email informing him of the outbreak in the hospital.

He shared a snippet from the message which read: "We now have eight Covid-19 positive patients across the hospital.

"Through our staff testing, we have had 73 confirmed Covid positive staff members out of 181 tested.

"318 staff members are currently off work because they, or someone in their household, are displaying symptoms. This is similar to yesterday."

Mr Costello went on to express concern that adequate measured were not being taken to protect workers in the hospital.

He said: "An informant tells me social distancing in the hospital is a fiction," before adding: "Many team members do handovers in a small office space without the use of masks."

However, Downing Street insists that PPE is now reaching the medical front line – with more than 45 million units delivered to NHS trusts and providers on Wednesday.

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The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: “We have now delivered 397 million products of PPE over the past two weeks, including masks, alcohol hand rub and aprons.

“Yesterday, over 45.5 million units of PPE were delivered to 280 trusts and providers, including five million aprons, one million of the FFP3 face masks, six million surgical masks and 21 million gloves.

“We do recognise that there have been some distribution problems while we have been dealing with the surge in demand.

“We are confident that the supply is now reaching the front line. Where that is not the case there is a 24-hour NHS-run hotline where NHS and social care workers can call to request the PPE that they need.”