In a joint statement the Care Quality Commission and Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is anticipated that the number of deaths in care homes relating to Covid-19 reported by providers between 11 April and 15 April could be double the number of care home deaths reported yesterday.”
That would be double the 975 reported by the Office for National Statistics yesterday for deaths in England during the week ending April 10.
The CQC has started recording confirmed and suspected coronavirus deaths in care homes. It has also started coordinating testing of social care staff in a move away from its usual role of regulation.
Meanwhile the Financial Times estimate the UK coronavirus death toll is more than double the latest total announced by the Department of Health, which stood at 17,337 at 5pm on April 20.
The Government’s figure is based almost entirely on the deaths of hospital patients who tested positive for Covid-19.
The FT describes the figure of 41,102 deaths by April 21 as a “conservative estimate”. It includes deaths that occurred outside hospitals.
– More than 300,000 applications so far to UK furlough scheme
There have been 309,000 applications to the furlough scheme, covering 2.2 million employees, worth £2.6 billion, according to the latest figures from Downing Street.
The coronavirus job retention scheme opened for applications on Monday morning.
– More than 23.6 million items of PPE delivered yesterday
More than 23.6 million items of PPE were delivered to 198 NHS trusts yesterday, Downing Street has said.
The deliveries included 54,000 gowns, 1.5 million eye protectors, 257,000 FFP3 respirator masks, 1.5 million surgical masks, 2.8 million aprons and 16.6 million gloves.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said:
We continue to work hard to try to both boost the domestic capacity to produce PPE and to source it from within the UK and also to secure PPE orders from overseas.
The RAF could make further flights to collect PPE from overseas, Number 10 indicated.
“If there was more PPE to be collected and delivered from anywhere in the world then if the RAF could help then they will do so,” he added.
– Boris Johnson ‘not yet doing Government work’
Boris Johnson has spoken on the phone with some of his team, but is not yet doing Government work, his spokesman has confirmed.
The spokesman declined to say when Mr Johnson would return to work.
He also told reporters that Mr Johnson had watched Prime Minister’s Questions from his country residence Chequers, where he continues his recovery from Covid-19.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said:
He is continuing his recovery at Chequers. I am told he watched PMQs from Chequers.”
He added that Mr Johnson spoke with the First Secretary of State Dominic Raab on Tuesday, and said the Prime Minister continues to receive regular updates from Number 10.
