Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in care homes who are likely to have contracted covid-19 and died of additional causes, since lockdown restrictions were introduced.

Public Health England (PHE) does not hold data on the total number of people who contracted COVID-19 in care homes. PHE collects data on the number of care homes that have reported an outbreak of suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Since the beginning of March 2020 up to and including the 22 April, the number of care homes that have reported outbreaks of COVID-19 is 4,132.

The Office for National Statistics publishes provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales, including deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes. The latest data, up to week ending 10 April, can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending10april2020