Hampshire care home deaths linked to Covid continue to rise
COVID deaths in Hampshire care homes continued to rise in the approach to Christmas, new figures have shown.
Data from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) revealed there were seven deaths linked to coronavirus in homes in the Hampshire County Council area between December 19 and 24 - up from five the previous week.
The Hampshire County Council area has seen the second largest number of care home deaths linked to Covid in the country with a total since records began on April 10 of 495. Kent has had 503.
But the number of deaths in Portsmouth care homes reduced in the most recent week, with none recorded. From December 12 to 18 there were two.
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.
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 19 and 24 there were 509 Covid deaths in England – a rise from 499 the week before. The country’s total since April 10 is 18,536.
In Portsmouth there has been a total of 44 and in Southampton there have been 63.
It comes as the NHS recently reported a total of 416 patients have died with Covid-19 at QA Hospital since the pandemic started.