Hampshire care homes record highest weekly Covid deaths during the pandemic

According to figures from the Care Quality Commission care homes in the county - including Portsmouth and Southampton - experienced 117 coronavirus-related deaths between January 23 to 29.

This is higher than the former largest weekly amount when there were 115 between April 24 to 30 last year, and higher than the previous week when there were 102.

It breaks down as 91 in the Hampshire County Council area, 15 in Portsmouth and 11 in Southampton.

The Hampshire County Council is the second worst affected area in the country with a total of 779 Covid care home deaths since records began on April 10.

A spokeswoman for the county council said the authority was monitoring all outbreaks and cases in the area to 'identify trends and issues.'

She said: 'The number of hospital cases and those passing away in the community remains high, with many hospitalisations and deaths occurring in recent weeks as a result of infections that happened before the national restrictions were implemented.

'From our current analysis, homes continue to work quickly to identify cases and take the required action to isolate and treat individuals as required.

'They have good supplies of personal protective equipment and are working hard, in difficult circumstances, to support residents, providing families and carers with regular wellbeing updates.

'In addition, positive cases are being looked after separately, and isolated from those who do not have the virus, with regular testing of both staff and residents, and ongoing reinforcement of the required infection controls procedures.'

All older people's care homes in the Hampshire County Council area have been offered a first dose of a Covid vaccine.

SEE ALSO: All care homes in Portsmouth offered first vaccine

Helen Atkinson, the public health boss in Portsmouth, said they were remaining 'vigilant against the virus.'

'With high rates of transmission in the community we are inevitably and tragically seeing more deaths related to Covid-19,' she said.

'However, the vaccination programme is well advanced - every care home in Portsmouth has been offered the first jab and by January 24, 85 per cent of over 80s in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight had received their first dose.'

But senior national care officer for union Unison, Gavin Edwards, added: 'There cannot be a repeat of the mistakes that cost so many lives during the first wave.

'All staff and the people they care for should be regularly tested. Protective kit must be available, and the vaccine offered to all care workers, not just those in care homes.

'There can be no excuses this time. The stakes are too high for profit to be put before people.'

There have been a total of 83 Covid deaths in Portsmouth care homes since April 10, and 89 in Southampton.

Between January 23 and 29 there were 1,790 across England, bringing the total to 24,919.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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