Identical twin sisters have sadly died within three days of each other after both testing positive for cornavirus.
Children's nurse Katy Davis, 37, died at Southampton General Hospital on Tuesday while her identical twin, Emma, a former surgery nurse, died early yesterday.
Emma and Katy, who both had an underlying health condition, have been praised for their excellent work in nursing by officials.
They are among almost 90 front line NHS workers who have been confirmed to have died during the pandemic.
Their sister, Zoe Davis, told the BBC: "They always said they had come into the world together and would go out together as well.
"There are no words to describe how special they were."
Zoe said the "amazing" pair, who lived together, had other health conditions and had been unwell for some time.
A spokesman for University Hospital Southampton (UHS) said that Katy had worked as risk and patient safety lead in child health but had been unwell for a period prior to her admittance to hospital when she tested positive for Covid-19.
He added that Emma had also worked for UHS for nine years as a nurse in surgery in the colorectal unit until 2013.
The spokesman said: "She had the same underlying health condition as Katy and had been unwell prior to her admission when she tested positive for Covid-19.
"She sadly also passed away last night and it goes without saying just how devastating and tragic this is for the family and all who knew them.
"Emma has been described as an excellent nurse who was calm and cheerful and a good leader.
Paula Head, chief executive at UHS, said: “I want to pay tribute to Katy who sadly passed away on Tuesday.
“Katy has been described by her colleagues where she worked in child health as a nurse people would aspire to be like and that nursing was more than just a job to her.
“On behalf of everyone here at UHS, including our patients and the communities we serve, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to her family.”
