Doctors read the medical notes of 82-year-old patient. Photo / AP
Doctors read the medical notes of 82-year-old patient. Photo / AP
Up to half of all coronavirus deaths in Europe have happened in care homes, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says, as it warns of "an unimaginable human tragedy".
The figures – which raise the prospect that the British death toll could soar – were highlighted by Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe.
Dr Kluge said there was "a deeply worrying picture" in care homes and called workers there "unsung heroes of the pandemic".
"This is an unimaginable human tragedy," he said.
UK charities said the figures were "an appalling indictment" of the failure to protect older and disabled people in the settings in which they should be safe.
Daily figures released by the NHS only count deaths in hospitals, which appear to be falling, but there are fears the toll in care homes may soon outstrip these.
The Office for National Statistics publishes figures which show more than 1000 deaths in care homes in England and Wales by April 10.
But earlier this week care watchdogs said the true figure was likely to have reached at least double that by April 15, while care chiefs last weekend estimated there had already been about 7500 care home deaths.
Not every country has reported up-to-date data on care home deaths to the WHO, but those that have done submitted figures showing that half of all victims were in long-term residential care.
More than 110,000 people have died from coronavirus in Europe, and deaths have increased by a third in the past seven days.
Dr Kluge also told the briefing that 50 per cent of the world's Covid-19 cases – more than 1.2 million – had been recorded in Europe.
Calling for a large-scale investment in care homes and measures to limit the risk of infections, he said: "This pandemic has shone a spotlight on the overlooked and undervalued corners of our society. Across the European region, long-term care has often been notoriously neglected."
Dr Kluge said care home workers were underpaid, under-equipped and under-protected from infection.
Earlier this week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock disclosed the deaths of 15 care workers linked to coronavirus in England.
Dr Kluge said care home residents were being denied the emotional and physical support of family visits and sometimes faced "the threat of abuse and neglect".
"We have a clear investment case for setting up integrated, person-centred long-term care systems in each country," he said, adding: "It is our duty to leave no one behind. We must step up."
Last weekend, Care England, the country's largest representative body for care homes, said the number of care home residents who had died of suspected coronavirus might have reached 7500.
On Wednesday, one care boss said his group alone had suffered hundreds of deaths. Jeremy Richardson, the chief executive of Four Seasons Health Care, said 240 residents had died of confirmed or suspected Covid-19 across the company's 187 homes.
Richardson said his care homes represented about 1 per cent of total care home space in the UK and added Government figures on the issue had always been "materially understated".
If the same patterns were uniformly seen across the UK, it could mean 24,000 care home deaths.
Data from Scotland suggested deaths in care homes could soon overtake those in hospitals. The National Records of Scotland statistics showed the number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes jumped by almost 60 per cent last week to 297.
The number of hospital deaths fell by 12.4 per cent to 311. If that trend continued this week, the death toll in care homes linked to coronavirus would overtake that in hospitals for the first time.
Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, said: "If true, this appalling statistic is an indictment of our collective failure across Europe to protect older and disabled people in settings where they are supposed, above all, to be safe.
Mourners stand following a funeral service at the Maggiore cemetery in Milan, Italy. Photo / AP
"I know some scientists have said the catastrophe unfolding in care is inevitable because of the vulnerability of residents and the infectiousness of the virus, but had we acted faster and more firmly to protect all care homes things might not have got as bad as they are today.
"We can't stop now. We have to continue to do everything possible to support the brave staff in care homes in their efforts to keep themselves and their clients safe and well. Good supplies of PPE [personal protective equipment], enough easily accessible testing and swift medical back-up for every care home are all key."
Sally Copley, the director of policy at the Alzheimer's Society, said the WHO figures reflected "the devastating scale of the terrible crisis that care homes are facing".
"With half of the deaths in Europe taking place in care homes, it seems unrealistic that this is only one in 10 in the UK," she said.
"Unfortunately, without a proper testing strategy in place it is likely that official UK figures currently under-report the true number of deaths in care homes. With 70 per cent of people in care homes living with dementia, the coronavirus pandemic is terrifying for the people we support."
Asked how many of Europe's care home deaths were from the UK, Dr Catherine Smallwood told the briefing the WHO had not yet been provided with the latest up-to-date figures.
The UK Government's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has said he was "sure we will see a high mortality rate, sadly, in care homes, because this is a very, very vulnerable group".
Care home bosses have expressed concerns over acquiring PPE and said the Government was too slow to introduce testing for staff.
The news comes as the Government tries to recruit thousands more people to work in social care as the sector faces ongoing pressures because of the pandemic. The "care for others, make a difference" campaign will encourage care providers to list vacancies on new website www.everydayisdifferent.com.
Meanwhile, Kluge warned any steps to relax lockdown measures needed to be carefully considered and introduced gradually.
"Complacency could be our worst enemy at this time. We cannot permit ourselves to believe we are secure and safe," he said. "There is no fast track to the new normal. Make no mistake, we remain in very turbulent water and will do so for some time."
