Devon & Cornwall covid care home deaths soar

More in 2021 than whole of last year

More people have died from covid in care homes in Devon and Cornwall in the first ten weeks of 2021 than the whole of 2020.

Up to 12 March, 332 residents died with the disease , compared to 315 in  2020.

Cornwall, the South Hams, and Teignbridge have seen more deaths in total from covid in 2021 than 2020.

But a year on from the first lockdown, the lowest number of weekly coronavirus deaths across Devon and Cornwall has been recorded since the start of November.

The weekly figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show 12 of the 316 deaths registered in the two counties had covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate. It is the lowest total for 18 weeks, and the lowest for 20 weeks for just deaths in hospitals.

The figures included three deaths that have occurred at Holmesley Care Home in Sidford – where seven people have died,  although the other four were later than 12 March and thus are not included in this data.

Of the 12 deaths, six were in Cornwall (one care home, five hospital), three in East Devon (all care home), one care home death in Plymouth and Mid Devon, and one hospital death in Exeter.

No deaths were registered in the Isles of Scilly, Torbay, Teignbridge Torridge (for the second week running), the South Hams (the third week running), West Devon (the fourth week running) and North Devon (the fifth week running). Six of the deaths occurred in care homes, with six in hospital.

Since the start of the pandemic, 1,703 deaths from coronavirus have been registered in Devon and Cornwall: 937 in hospitals, 647 in care homes, 108 at home, four in a hospice, three in a communal establishment and four ‘elsewhere’.

Other communal establishments include defence bases, educational premises, prisons (including probation/bail hostel, prisons, detention centres and other detention), hotels, hostels, travel and temporary accommodation (including B&Bs, temporary shelter for homeless and holiday parks), and religious premises.

The ONS define elsewhere as all places not covered by the other definitions, such as deaths on a motorway, at the beach, climbing a mountain, walking down the street, at the cinema, at a football match, while out shopping or in someone else’s home.

Of the deaths, 563 were registered in Cornwall, 230 in Plymouth, 200 in East Devon, 165 in Torbay, 127 in Teignbridge, 126 in Exeter, 81 in Mid Devon, 70 in North Devon, 54 in Torridge, 50 in the South Hams, 37 in West Devon, and none on the Isles of Scilly.

So far in 2021, there have been 301 deaths in Cornwall, 91 in Plymouth, 76 in East Devon, 67 in Teignbridge, 56 in Torbay, 53 in Exeter, 33 in Mid Devon, 26 in South Hams, 14 in North Devon, 13 in Torridge and 9 in West Devon.