Five nurses have died of suspected coronavirus in the past five days, with the latest death taking place just this morning.

Matron Sara Trollope, care home worker Elsie Sazuze and nurses Julie Omar, Leilani Dayrit and Gareth Roberts are all thought to have died from the disease.

It comes after two Oxford hospital porters lost their battle against Covid-19, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock announcing that 19 NHS staff had died during the outbreak. 

Colleagues of Mrs Trollope, who died yesterday morning, paid tribute to her ‘unbeatable kindness, selflessness and determination’.

The matron for older adult mental health services in the Hillingdon area of London was also described as a devoted mother by her husband Gary.

Do you have a coronavirus story? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk

Divisional nursing director Helen Willets said the veteran NHS worker had taught her and many others how to care for older people with mental health issues and dementia.

She added that Mrs Trollope left behind a legacy of caring and compassionate nurses.

Divisional Medical Director Dr Paul Hopper added: “Sara had that unbeatable combination of kindness, selflessness and total determination to get things right for patients.

“Just a few weeks ago I went through Oaktree with her, checking the dementia friendly changes that had been put in place.

“She knew every little detail, she talked in her understated way about how she’d solved problems, and she had total conviction that the improvements really mattered to patients – even though they couldn’t express it themselves. She was an example to every one of us.”

Mrs Dayrit, 47, a nurse at St Cross Hospital in Rugby, also died from suspected coronavirus on Tuesday.

Her daughter Mary Dayrit described her as ‘selfless until the very end’, putting others’ wellbeing before her own, according to the BBC.

Care home nurse Mrs Sazuz, who lived in Birmingham but was reportedly originally from Malawi, is also thought to have passed away from coronavirus.

She called her husband before she was put on a ventilator, telling him he needed to ‘stay strong’ for their children if she died, reports say.

The mum died on Wednesday, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for her funeral costs.

Mr Roberts passed away at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, this morning after testing positive for coronavirus.

A post on the health board’s Facebook page said: “Gareth had been part of our nursing family since the 1980s and worked across our hospital sites.

“He retired in December 2014 and re-joined the bank in January 2015.

“Gareth was well known by everyone and was an extremely popular, fun-filled and well liked person, always greeting everyone with – ‘Hello Cariad’ when he saw them.

“Staff say he was such a kind and helpful person, and that they learned so much from him.

“He had a lovely way with relatives and always offered the caring personal side, he was very much an ‘old school’ nurse.

“He is survived by his wife, son and grandson. We will miss him greatly.”

Hundreds of people shared memories of Mr Roberts and expressed their sadness at his passing in response to the Facebook post.

Mrs Omar, a 52-year-old nurse at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, Worcestershire, also died yesterday after developing coronavirus symptoms.

She was described as an experienced trauma and orthopaedics nurse and a much-loved mother.

According to the BBC, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust’s chief executive Matthew Hopkins told staff: “I know that this news will have a profound impact on many of you, not least because it brings the tragic consequences of this outbreak even closer to home than it already was.”