THE Great North Air Ambulance is continuing its rescue mission across the region despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak.

The charity said its doctor and paramedic teams were being deployed to incidents in the same way as usual.

A spokesman said however: “We are only airlifting those patients who are critically unwell and on closed circuit ventilation, which means there is a much reduced risk of the patient spreading infection within the aircraft.

“The team, including the pilots, are using the personal protective equipment they need to operate safely. This means we are still able to deliver the vital blood transfusions, anaesthetic procedures, ultrasound and all of our other life-saving equipment and techniques as is normally the case.

“We are continuously monitoring the situation to ensure that we are balancing the needs of our patients with the safety of our crew.”