TWO porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital have died amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the JR said: "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the deaths of two members of staff, both of whom were porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital and both married to members of our nursing teams. 

"Both men were popular and hard-working members of our fantastic team of porters at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

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"They will be sorely missed by their colleagues as well as family and friends in the wider community."

The statement does not mention coronavirus but The Oxford Mail understands at least one of the men is suspected to have had Covid-19.  

It continued: "Our thoughts are with their wives and families as well as their close colleagues.

"The families have asked that their privacy be respected at this very sad time.

"As colleagues we will be supporting both families as best we can through their loss and we know that they will also be supported by the wonderful Filippino Community here in Oxford in which both families play a significant part."

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It added the trust would also be offering support to all their colleagues and reminding all staff about the services and advice that are available to them.

In a personal message to staff Dr Bruno Holthof, Chief Executive Officer, and Sir Jonathan Montgomery, Chair of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation 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.

"None of us can deliver our service to patients alone. We all need each other and we stand together in honouring the memories of our colleagues and together we share in the sadness of their families."