Respiratory incidents involving Covid in UK care homes double in fortnight

The number of confirmed or suspected respiratory infection outbreaks reported in UK care homes with at least one coronavirus case has more than doubled in a fortnight, new figures show.

There were 1,126 acute respiratory infection incidents reported in care homes in the week to January 2, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

Of these, at least 810 had at least one positive coronavirus case.

This is a rise from 475 incidents reported in care homes in the week to December 19, where 336 involved at least one Covid-19 case.

The 1,126 suspected or confirmed outbreaks in care homes reported over the most recent seven-day period is higher than any individual weekly total recorded over 2021.

Overall, 1,574 incidents were reported across all settings over the most recent week – with care homes accounting for more than two-thirds.

The remaining incidents occurred in education settings, hospitals, workplaces, prisons, food outlets and other settings.

The data is published in UKHSA’s weekly national influenza and Covid-19 surveillance report.