Almost 10,000 people have died of coronavirus in UK care homes including 1,558 in ONE WEEK, shocking new figures reveal

CORONAVIRUS deaths in UK care homes almost total 10,000, including 1,558 in ONE week, new figures reveal.

Covid-19 has had a devastating impact in care homes - and they account for one in four of all coronavirus deaths.

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In the week up to May 8, there were 1,503 deaths in care homes in England and a further 55 in Wales.

In England there were 8,314 deaths in care homes between April 10 and May 8, according to the Care Quality Commission.

In Wales there were 350 coronavirus care home deaths from March 17 to May 8, while there were 1,195 in Scotland and 232 in Northern Ireland.

There has been anger among care home operators, staff and relatives the government has underestimated the severity of the impact of the disease in care.

The Prime Minister has admitted he "bitterly regrets" the coronavirus epidemic that has devastated the country's care homes.

Today's figures from the Office for National Statistics show:

• There were 34,978 deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales up to May 1
• This compares with 26,251 deaths of people reported by the Department of Health and Social Care for the same period
• There were 8,314 deaths of care home residents in England from coronavirus from April 10 to May 8
• In Wales, there were 350 Covid-19 deaths in care homes from March 17 to May 8
• Care home deaths accounted for 40 per cent of coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales in the week ending May 1
• Of all deaths involving coronavirus up to May 1, 10,535 were outside hospitals

The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, also revealed there were 34,978 Covid-19 related deaths in total up to May 1 in England and Wales.

That death count is a third higher than was reported by the Department of Health at the time, who recorded 26,251 deaths.

It confirmed Britain is among those worst hit by the pandemic that has killed more than 285,000 worldwide.

Meanwhile Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the Office for National Statistics, said the total number of deaths registered across England and Wales to the week ending May 1 was 17,953.

Covid-19 was mentioned on a third of all those death certificates.

He said: "That is about 4,000 lower than it was the week before but it is still 8,000 above the average that we would expect to see in this week at this time of year.

"So it is actually the seventh highest weekly total since this data set started in 1993 so we have had four out of the top seven weeks in the last four weeks."

Yesterday we reported how men working in the lowest skilled jobs have the highest rate of death involving Covid-19, according to the ONS.

Government figures revealed Britain's overlooked army of frontline workers — social care workers, bus and taxi drivers, chefs and supermarket staff — are among the most vulnerable.

Analysis of 2,494 coronavirus fatalities found they are all more than twice as likely to die from the disease than the average working-age Brit.

Interestingly, the mortality rate for healthcare workers such as doctors and nurses was not higher than among others of the same age and sex.

But the ONS did find both men and women working in social care, including care workers and home carers, have "significantly" higher death rates involving Covid-19 than the working population as a whole.

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Dr Michael Head, from Southampton University, said the report has "huge implications" for those people working in roles where social distancing is not possible.

Neil Pearce, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the ONS findings were "striking".

He said the report shows that for working-age Brits, Covid-19 is "largely an occupational disease".

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