Thank
you to all those who have emailed in with regard to this campaign.
Reporting
for daily deaths in non-hospital settings has unfortunately historically had a
lag in reporting, which has meant a delay in the statistics that Public Health
England (PHE) and the government could release during the daily briefings and
online via the gov website. Given the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19,
commonly known as the Coronavirus, and the tragic number of deaths resulting
from it outside of hospital settings the government recognised the priority of
ensuring these figures are as up to date and accurate as they can possibly be.
As a result, PHE have rapidly developed a new method of reporting daily Coronavirus
deaths to give a more complete picture of those who have died from the virus.
From
29th April, the government’s daily figure will include deaths that
have occurred in all settings where there has been a positive Coronavirus test,
including hospitals, care homes and the wider community. All of the figures
previously reported have been revised retrospectively since the first death on
2nd March to include the additional data sources not previously
included and is therefore more reflective of the actual number of deaths.
It
is important to note that this is in line with the trends seen by the Official
of National Statistics (ONS) in their data, which already reports deaths not in
hospital settings. It will remain the case that ONS data, which publishes every
week with data from 11 days ago, includes suspected cases where a
test has not taken place. ONS figures will therefore continue to include more
deaths than the government’s daily series.
It
is also important to highlight whilst discussing data of any kind that
comparing statistics with other countries across the world should be done with
caution. Each country is counting Coronavirus deaths differently and reported
numbers alone do not take into account population numbers, density or many
other factors.
I
believe any death is a tragedy and this government is committed to using this
enhanced data to better understand the impact this outbreak is having on those
living in care homes so that we can continue to do everything in our power to
protect them, as well as those in hospital and in the wider community. The
government is committed to ensuring that those living in care homes continue to
receive the best care possible and that both residents and care workers are
adequately protected against this virus. We will continue to work with all
relevant stakeholders to ensure that all appropriate support including
additional funding is available to assist care homes, social care workers and
residents through this exceptionally challenging time.
This
all underscores the importance of everyone staying at home and keeping safe. It
is simply the best weapon we have to slow the spread of the virus. That way we
can protect the NHS and save lives.
Thanks
once again for bringing this matter to my attention, and I trust this swift
action reassures you of this government’s commitment to this extremely
important issue.
