Number of COVID-19 deaths in Lancashire care homes has been revealed

New figures show that 4,343 residents have died from coronavirus in care homes across the UK in the last two weeks.

The new data, released today, shows there were 758 Covid-19 deaths in care homes in the North West from 10-24 April.

This means 44% of all care home deaths in the region were due to coronavirus.

It includes 86 deaths in Lancashire care homes during the same period.

The figures show an alarming surge in the number of Covid-19 care home deaths attributed to the outbreak in the region, with deaths increasing by 53% week-on-week - from 299 in the week up to April 17, to 459 in week up to April 24.

It is the first time the figures for care homes has been published, with the Government previously only confirming the number of deaths recorded in hospitals.

The figures, published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) record the number of pensioners who have died in care homes between April 10 and 24 in England, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The government’s official death toll had previously come under fire for only including people who had died from coronavirus in hospitals.

Care home operators said they feared the sector will become "sadly the most affected area of society in terms of deaths from Covid-19".

Separately, the ONS said there were 1,220 deaths which occurred outside hospital, excluding care home deaths, in England and Wales up to April 17.

Of these:

- 883 took place in private homes

- 190 in hospices

- 61 in other communal establishments, and

- 86 elsewhere

The ONS and CQC figures added together make a total of 6,563 deaths outside hospital.

The ONS's weekly release also showed the total number of deaths involving Covid-19 in England up to April 17 (and which were registered up to April 25), was 39% higher than the equivalent NHS total.

The ONS figures show there were 21,284 deaths involving Covid-19 over that period, compared with 15,293 deaths in hospitals in England for the same period, reported by NHS England.

This is because the ONS figures include all mentions of Covid-19 on a death certificate, including suspected Covid-19, as well as deaths in the community.

The NHS figures only include deaths in hospitals where a patient has been tested for Covid-19.