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29 April 2020updated 04 Sep 2021 12:54pm

One in three English care homes have suffered an outbreak of Covid-19

By Ben Walker

Nearly one in three care homes across England have seen outbreaks of Covid-19, according to new figures revealed today. The data, published by Public Health England, found that 4,516 of the country’s 15,517 care homes had seen at least one case.

The biggest concentration of outbreaks appeared to be in central London. Almost all care homes in Camden, Hammersmith and Tower Hamlets reported residents contracting Covid-19.

The North East of England is also experiencing a high number of infections, with 39 per cent of care homes suffering from an outbreak. Of Sheffield’s 116 care homes, 62 have reported infections among their residents, or 53 per cent. Meanwhile Rayleigh and Rochford are the only parts of mainland England to have had no known outbreaks in their care homes.

Covid-19 is most lethal to those of an older age. The median age of English patients confirmed with the virus has been 60. The estimated rate of death by a team of UK researchers to be 0.66 per cent overall, but near 8 per cent for those over the age of 80.

New figures from the Care Quality Commission reveal the death toll from Covid-19 in care homes to be rapidly increasing. From April 10-24, care homes across England and Wales saw 4,343 Covid-19 related deaths, up from 1,043 as of April 10.

It is not yet known whether the care homes in the new data have recovered from their outbreaks.

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