HUNDREDS of staff at the trust which runs Winchester hospital have tested positive for coronavirus.

Since testing begun at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) in March around 400 employees have contracted Covid-19.

Chief executive Alex Whitfield confirmed the number, with over 1,000 members of staff tested so far.

She said: “Over 400 staff we have tested positive over a 1,000 staff have been tested, so that is getting to quite a high proportion of our staff that have been tested at some point.

“We have tested index cases so where people have had a family member who has shown symptoms, we have been testing some of those but those are much smaller numbers.

“Many of them are now back at work, so that goes back over a month now.”

Worryingly of those who have been diagnosed with the virus, six are currently being treated at the trust’s hospitals in Winchester and Basingstoke.

Questioning Ms Whitfield, the Chronicle asked if the six staff members were on ventilators.

She said: “I cannot give you details of their position, it’s such a small number of people. It would be too risky confidentiality wise.

“We have not lost any members of staff of which we are incredibly grateful.”