Yday I reported on the surge in deaths in care homes in one local authority area. Now I can compare England and Wales.
Data shows that care home deaths for the year so far are up 78.5% on average for same period in 2015-19
For most recent week of data: they're up nearly 250% 👇
Data shows that care home deaths for the year so far are up 78.5% on average for same period in 2015-19
For most recent week of data: they're up nearly 250% 👇
What is interesting about this data, as you can see, is that even when you strip out confirmed Covid-19 care home deaths, we're still way above normal for these last few weeks in terms of care home deaths.
A few possible explanations for this
1) Underreporting of covid19 in care homes (lack of testing)
2) Covid exacerbated other conditions which worsened and that's what they died of
3) people who didn't go to hospital because of something else and should have done and then died
1) Underreporting of covid19 in care homes (lack of testing)
2) Covid exacerbated other conditions which worsened and that's what they died of
3) people who didn't go to hospital because of something else and should have done and then died
Of course, it's possible that over the course of the year, deaths in care homes reduce, go beneath the 2015-19 baseline as some of those who might have died later in the year, died earlier. We just can't know. Right now though we do know the situation in care homes is very grim.
