Hampshire care homes hit by seven more Covid deaths

According to the latest data from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) there were five Covid-19 deaths in care homes in the Hampshire County Council area between December 12 to 18. And in that time there were two in Portsmouth care homes.

This was a rise on the previous week when there were two across the whole of the county - including in Portsmouth and Southampton.

Overall there has been an increase in the number of Covid deaths in Hampshire care homes in recent months.

Before the end of September the last Covid death in the Hampshire County Council area was on August 26, and weekly figures remained low after June.

In Portsmouth the last recorded death in care homes before November was on August 13.

And in Southampton there has not been a care home death since October 1.

It comes as care homes nationwide have seen the number of coronavirus deaths rise again since November following a couple of months where daily figures were down to single figures.

Between December 12 and 18 there were 499 Covid deaths in England – a rise from 470 the week before. The country’s total since April 10 is 18,016 which amounts to 20.6 per cent of all deaths in care homes in that time.

The Hampshire County Council area has still seen the largest number of care home deaths linked to Covid in the country with a total since records began on April 10 of 488.

The only area in England close to the numbers in Hampshire is County Durham, which has had 276 care home deaths linked to Covid since April 10.

In Portsmouth there has been a total of 44 and in Southampton there have been 63.

It comes as the NHS recently reported two new Covid deaths at QA Hospital – bringing the total at the hospital to 338 since the pandemic started.

Some of the weekly figures increase in later data releases when more deaths from the period are notified to the CQC.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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