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Three NHS nurses who were forced to wear bin bags for protective clothing as they bravely treated coronavirus patients have tested positive for the disease.

Frontline staff at Northwick Hospital in Harrow, north London, claim they had to use makeshift Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) due to severe shortages of gloves, aprons and footwear.

Photographs circulated last month showing the nurses wearing clinical waste bags on their hands, feet and head as emergency rooms filled with sick patients.

All three nurses pictured in the image were diagnosed with coronavirus at a North London testing centre last week, the Telegraph has reported.

Staff say they are at high risk of contracting the disease from sick patients because bosses have failed to provide them with proper PPE.

Shocking photos of the exhausted nurses wearing yellow-coloured waste bags circulated on social media in March.

The caption read: "We are so disheartened with what we face day by day, night by night."

"Improvising PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) to at least try to protect us from our infectious patients, buying our own wellington boots that is said to be re-imbursed.

"This is how our prime minister says that we are stockpiling PPEs!

"We have to stay brave for our colleagues who are off sick, families and our patients. It just made us cry inside but we show brave and smiling faces to everyone."

(Image: Harrow Observer)

Staff at the hospital have allegedly been warned not to speak to the press about continuing shortages of PPE.

There have been at least six patient deaths due to Covid-19 and dozens of patients are in intensive care there.

Northwick Hospital, which is part of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, was the first major UK hospital to declare a “critical incident” after a surge coronavirus patients left them with a lack of clinical care beds.

Staff were told in a message: “I am writing to let you know that we have this evening declared a ‘critical incident’ in relation to our critical care capacity at Northwick Park Hospital. This is due to an increasing number of patients with Covid-19.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

“This means that we currently do not have enough space for patients requiring critical care.

“As part of our system resilience plans, we have contacted our partners in the North West London sector this evening to assist with the safe transfer of patients off of the Northwick Park site.”

A senior doctor at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow said the situation was "f***ing petrifying."

A spokesman for London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust told the Mirror: "We can confirm that a number of staff members working in our Covid-19 positive areas have tested positive for the coronavirus.

"This is unfortunate but not unexpected, as it corresponds with the experience of healthcare workers across the world.

"We are providing full support to those of our staff members who become unwell, and wish them a swift recovery."