Care Home COVID Deaths Fall By A Third

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 12 February 2021 (week 6) fell to 15,354, which was 1,838 fewer deaths than in the previous week and was 28.8% above the five-year average (3,429 deaths higher).

Of the deaths registered in Week 6 in England and Wales, 5,691 mentioned “novel coronavirus (COVID-19)”; a decrease of 1,629 deaths compared with Week 5.

In Week 6, deaths involving COVID-19 accounted for 37.1% of all deaths in England and Wales. The number of COVID-19 care home related deaths fell by a third in the latest weekly statistics reported by the ONS.

The biggest decrease was seen in those aged 90 years and over (424 fewer deaths). The majority (70.5%) of deaths involving COVID-19 were in people aged 75 years and over.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic (up to week ending 12 February 2021), 54.3% of all deaths involving COVID-19 have been in males (Figure 4). There have been more deaths in females aged 85 years and over (28,649) than males aged 85 years and over (24,005). However, these numbers do not account for the population structure where there are more women aged 85 years and over than men.

Of deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020 and up to Week 6 (week ending 12 February 2021), 68.9% (86,101 deaths) occurred in hospitals, with the remainder occurring in care homes (29,584 deaths), private homes (6,617), hospices (1,774), other communal establishments (457) and elsewhere (445).

Between Weeks 5 and 6, the number of deaths involving COVID-19 decreased in all settings: hospitals (941 fewer), care homes (566 fewer), hospices (58 fewer), private homes (52 fewer), other communal establishments (8 fewer) and elsewhere (4 fewer). Deaths involving COVID-19 in hospitals as a proportion of all deaths in hospitals fell to 53.5% in Week 6 (58.0% in Week 5). Deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes accounted for 37.8% of deaths, a decrease from Week 5 (45.5%).

As well as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides numbers of deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes in England that are based on the date the death was notified to the CQC. From 10 April 2020 (the first day when data were collected using the CQC’s new method of identifying deaths involving COVID-19) to 19 February 2021, there were 27,875 deaths of residents in care homes involving COVID-19. Of these deaths, 649 were notified in the week up to 19 February 2021.