A FURTHER five deaths in care homes across St Helens have been linked to coronavirus, according to new figures released by the local authority.
St Helens Council said 147 people have died from all causes in the borough’s care homes since the start of the outbreak to May 15.
The latest figures, which are based on death notifications from care providers, show that 69 of the 147 deaths are “suspected” of being related to COVID-19.
That is a rise of five suspected coronavirus-related deaths in the week leading up to May 15, compared to 13 new deaths in the week prior.
The number of symptomatic cases has also dropped, from 98 new cases to 58.
Across the UK, almost 35,000 people have now died after testing positive for the virus across all settings.
Speaking in Parliament today, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government’s plan to slow the spread of the virus and protect the NHS is working.
And he said the social care sector is being given an “unprecedented” level of support from the government.
Mr Hancock said: “First, we are protecting the nation’s care homes with a further £600 million available directly to care homes in England.
“We’ve prioritised testing for care homes throughout and we’ve made sure every care home has a named NHS clinical lead.
“And we’re requiring local authorities to conduct daily reviews of the situation on the ground so that every care home gets the support it needs each and every day.
“All of this amounts to an unprecedented level of scrutiny and support for the social care system, and a level of integration with the NHS that is long overdue.”
Mr Hancock said the number of people in hospital with coronavirus is half what it was at the peak, with the number of people in critical care down by two thirds.
Locally, more encouraging signs continue to emerge from St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
According to the latest data from NHS England, no further deaths have been reported by the trust on Monday, although there is usually a delay following the weekend.
Earlier this month the trust’s medical director, Rowan Pritchard Jones, said it was past the “first peak” and last week, several daily updates showed no deaths linked to coronavirus.
Since the outbreak began, the trust, which runs Whiston, St Helens and Newton hospitals, has registered 177 coronavirus-related deaths.
At the latest count, a further 122 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in hospitals in England, according to the latest NHS data.
Patients were aged between 47 and 100 years old. Seven of the 122 patients, aged between 50 and 85, had no known underlying health condition.
The latest count brings the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 24,739.
The vast majority of the deaths reported by NHS England are hospital patients who had tested positive for COVID-19.
A small number of deaths are also reported by NHS England in cases where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
All deaths are recorded against the date of death rather than the date they were announced.
This means the deaths that were first recorded in the last 24 hours may have actually taken place days or weeks earlier.
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