More than 80 patients receiving hospital care for coronavirus have been discharged from the James Paget University Hospital (JPUH).

In a tweet posted on Monday morning, the Gorleston hospital said: “In the midst of very sad news about those that have died, we are seeing some positives with 84 Covid-19 positive patients being discharged from our hospital as they no longer need acute care.”

The statement was followed by a plea for everyone to follow the rules around social distancing.

The positive news comes as the county’s death toll breaches the 100-mark, with 11 more deaths recorded on Sunday.

Among the 110 people in Norfolk to have died from the virus, 38 deaths have been recorded at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 40 at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn and 32 at the JPUH.

More than 10,000 coronavirus patients have died nationwide as of Sunday, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying it was a “sombre day” for the country.He said: “The fact that over 10,000 people have now lost their lives to this invisible killer demonstrates just how serious this coronavirus is.”

At the JPUH so far, doctors have claimed that they are “coping” with the coronavirus surge.

However, Dr Michael Brooks stressed that there is an underlying fear that “we could soon be overwhelmed”.Speaking to BBC News last week, he said: “The difficulty is that nobody knows how high the peak is going to be, and we have no idea how busy things are going to get.

“There’s also the worry that as a doctor or nurse you could get infected yourself - and in the back of our minds is the constant thought that we could be one of the 20% who do have a rough course with coronavirus.”

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Over 130 coronavirus deaths have been announced at the Queen Elizabeth, James Paget and Norfolk and Norwich hospitals. Picture: ArchantOver 130 coronavirus deaths have been announced at the Queen Elizabeth, James Paget and Norfolk and Norwich hospitals. Picture: Archant (Image: Archant)

Dr Brooks also admitted that staff “just do not know” why some people experience mild symptoms and others serious ones.

But he added that, despite staff spending ten hours a day in their gowns tending to patients, their main motivation is to help people.

He said: “That’s our passion and our main drive - to get out there and tend to patients who need us.”

Great Yarmouth Mercury: The James Paget Hospital's new 'respiratory A&E' unit. Photo: Simon StevensThe James Paget Hospital's new 'respiratory A&E' unit. Photo: Simon Stevens (Image: Archant)