Care home residents account for up to half of Covid-19 deaths in Europe – WHO

By Luke Powell and Caitlin Doherty PA

Residents in long-term care facilities account for up to half of coronavirus-related deaths in Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said there was a “deeply concerning picture” emerging of the impact Covid-19 is having on those in care.

He told a press conference on Thursday that the way some care facilities operate is “providing pathways” for the virus to spread within the population.

Dr Kluge said: “According to estimates from countries in the European region, up to half of those who have died from Covid-19 were resident in long-term care facilities.”

“This is an unimaginable human tragedy.”

Asked how many of Europe’s care home deaths were from the UK, Dr Catherine Smallwood told the briefing the WHO has not yet been provided with the latest up-to-date figures.

The sentiments echoed those shared by the Government’s Chief Medical Officer, professor Chris Whitty, who said he was “sure we will see a high mortality rate sadly in care homes, because this is a very, very vulnerable group.”

He told reporters on Wednesday that the 826 deaths reported in England and Wales by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the week ending April 10 were “an underestimate.”

These latest figures bring the total number of Covid-19 care home deaths since the start of the outbreak to 1,043.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the daily Downing Street press conference “there is a huge effort under way to limit the spread of this disease in care homes.”

Professor John Newton, official coordinator for Covid-19 testing, said that while “a few” coronavirus deaths in care homes would not be recorded as Covid-19 related, data from testing is being linked with death certificates in the national records to ensure more accurate figures.

Care home bosses have expressed concerns over acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing, and one told the PA news agency that some types of equipment are up to 24 times more expensive than they were before the pandemic.

Dr Kluge said that PPE should be provided, and testing of any suspected cases in care facilities should be “prioritised.”

He said that staff working in care homes need to start being paid “appropriately”, as they are “often overstretched, underpaid and unprotected.”

Dr Kluge also told the briefing that 50% of the world’s Covid-19 cases – over 1.2 million – have been recorded in Europe and more than 110,000 people have died.

The news comes as the Government is trying to recruit thousands more people to work in social care as the sector faces ongoing pressures due to the pandemic.

The ‘Care for others. Make a difference’ campaign will encourage care providers to list vacancies on new website www.everydayisdifferent.com.

Job sites including Indeed and Monster have offered to help fill the vacancies.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: “We want to bring together all those thinking they might work in care with social care providers looking for new recruits and to make it as simple as possible for the doors to open up for thousands more compassionate and committed people to work in care.”