Sweden princess Sofia shows the way

Stockholm: Princess Sofia of Sweden has started working at a hospital treating coronavirus patients to help in the country's fight against the pandemic.

The 35-year-old completed a three-day intensive training programme online that will allow her to volunteer at Sophiahemmet Hospital in Stockholm, of which she is Honorary Chair.

According to The Royal Central, Princess Sofia, who has joined the hospital as a healthcare assistant, will not be directly involved in dealing with COVID-19 patients. Instead, she will support the healthcare professionals with non-medical tasks.

The online course by Sophiahemmet Hospital trains people with a non-medical background in support duties, which can include cleaning, working in the kitchen, disinfecting equipment and more.

The hospital is training up to 80 people a week to ease the burden on on doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, whose workload has increased significantly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"In the crisis we find ourselves in, the Princess wants to get involved and make a contribution as a voluntary worker to relieve the large workload of health care professionals," a spokesperson for the royal court said, according to The Royal Central.

Photos shared online show the former model on the first day of her job with co-workers. Wearing blue scrubs, they maintain social distance while posing for a picture.