Covid death rates keep falling in care homes
COVID deaths in Hampshire care homes have continued to decline since the most recent wave, new figures have shown.
According to the Care Quality Commission, there were seven coronavirusrelated deaths in care homes in the Hampshire County Council area, and one in Portsmouth, between March 6 and 19.
And in that time there was none in Southampton.
They are the lowest figures since November as care homes and hospitals were hit by an increase in deaths in December and January.
And it is a drop from the previous fortnight (February 20 to March 5) when there were 33 Covid deaths in care homes across the county.
It is also significantly fewer than in prior weeks, including the week of January 23 when there were 117 – the highest figure since records began on April 10.
Nationally, Covid-19 deaths in care homes have also decreased with 97 recorded between March 13 and 19, and 160 from March 6 to 12.
In the week prior to that (February 27 to March 5), there were 252 recorded in care homes in England.
Overall, Hampshire has been the second-worst hit area in England with a total of 947 Covid deaths in care homes since April.
There have been a total of 98 coronavirus deaths in Portsmouth care homes, and 104 in Southampton.
In England, the total now stands at 28,810.
As reported, the director of public health in Portsmouth, Helen Atkinson, warned that the city was expecting another surge in Covid cases at the end of May due to the relaxing of restrictions nationally.