MORE than a third of all coronavirus deaths in Herefordshire have been in care homes, latest figures which show the death toll in all settings show.

Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, for the week ending January 29, show 26 county residents died where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate during that week.

The data shows eight people died 16 in hospital, seven in a care home and three at home.

It means 275 deaths involving Covid-19 happened in Herefordshire up to January 29.

The week before the toll stood at 248, with one other death happening in a previous week, but with a delay in it being registered.

In total since March, 94 deaths have happened at care homes, more than a third (34.2 per cent) of the total of 275.

The 181 outside of care homes include one elsewhere, 12 in private homes, four in hospices and 164 in hospital.

RELATED NEWS:

The figures, published weekly, are based on where Covid-19 is mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. It does not give a location more specific than Herefordshire.

The data includes deaths up to January 29, but registered up to eight days later.

This is in contrast to daily figures from NHS England which only show patients who died at the Wye Valley NHS Trust after testing positive for coronavirus.

These figures from the NHS say there have been 18- deaths at the trust as of 4pm on Tuesday (February 9).

Last week, the PA news agency analysed the ONS figures for England and Wales and found almost a third of all coronavirus deaths had been in care homes.

Vic Rayner, executive director of National Care Forum, told the agency: “Any death of care home residents across the care sector is a tragedy.

“The figures today remind us just how many people have been lost during this pandemic, and how vital it is that everyone across the caring community and the wider public keeps focus on doing everything within our gift to reduce the spread of the pandemic.

“Those who live in care homes do so with confidence that providers will do everything possible to keep them safe.

“It’s a very sad day to hear of these numbers and it’s evidence of the huge tragedy brought on families everywhere from this dreadful virus.”