Two more patients and two more staff have caught the bug

The outbreak has affected nearly half the Canterbury hospital's wards.

On Wednesday, eight cases were reported at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital in Margate. Both hospitals have introduced limited visiting hours.

And tests were under way at Maidstone hospital on Tuesday to see if patients with symptoms had the sick bug.

Droplet spread

Deep cleaning is being carried out at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, where patients and staff have been affected by the Norovirus bug, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

The Canterbury hospital has said new patients are still being admitted and are being put on deep-cleaned wards, so that there is no risk of infection.

The Kent Health Protection Agency (KHPA) has said it is difficult to stop the spread of the virus.

On Tuesday, Dr Mathi Chandrakumar, of the KHPA, said: "You can get droplet spread within the ward and you cannot stop people from getting it, so containment is the best possible outcome.

"In the case of very elderly, frail or vulnerable people, where actual immunity is lowered for any reason, it can be serious, but usually they recover within about 24 to 48 hours."