Three more Isle of Wight deaths – but outside the NHS

By Carole Dennett May 5, 2020

Local Democracy Reporter Louise Hill

There have been three new deaths on the Isle of Wight, outside  hospital, due to Covid-19 — one at home, one in a care home and one in a hospice.

The latest figures, released today (Tuesday), from the Office for National Statistics, show a further death was registered in a care home on the Island, up to April 24, bringing the total up to three. Two people have now unfortunately died at home. The first death of a person in a hospice, where Covid-19 was registered as the cause, has also occurred. The only hospice on the Island is Mountbatten in Newport.

Figures for those who die in a care home, hospice or at home are not included in the figures produced daily by NHS England, which tells the public how many have died in hospital due to coronavirus.

As of May 4, 28 people had died at the Isle of Wight’s only hospital, St Mary’s, with a total registered 143 cases of the virus. The most recent figure of those who have recovered from the virus stands at 25.

Different data, from Public Health England, shows however that Covid-19 is present in almost a quarter of Island care homes, with 17 of 75 homes recording symptoms or confirmed cases.