One patient has died of Coronavirus at Owen Mor car home in Derry
Last Tuesday, Health Minister Robin Swann revealed there were cases of Covid-19 in 20 care homes here.
Just over two weeks ago, there was one confirmed death at a care home in Derry.
A patient who had contracted COVID-19 sadly passed away at Owen More care home on the city’s Culmore Road.
The home revealed the person was one of six residents which had test positive for Coronarivus.
No further official information has been released relating to the impact of coronavirus on care homes here.
On Monday the UK’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said that one in seven of the UK’s care homes are now affected by Coronavirus.
With 484 care homes in the North of Ireland, that would mean the deadly virus is now present in almost 70 care homes here.
The Public Health Agency (PHA) has said it is informed of all outbreaks in nursing homes, considered to be more than one linked case of a disease, but it cannot provide any statistics relating to the number of cases or deaths in facilities here.
A PHA spokeswoman said: “This information is not collated in the current surveillance report”.
But the RQIA said the information is gathered by the PHA.
By law, all communicable diseases and deaths occurring in care homes, must be reported to the RQIA.
The refusal to release any statistics comes after it emerged that four people with Covid-19 have died at Our Lady’s Care Home in west Belfast.
The deaths have come amid claims that some care home staff are still sourcing their own personal protective equipment.
And one health trust threatened to stop future admissions to a care home if it refused to accept a person being discharged from hospital without first being tested for Covid-19.
Serious questions have been raised about the surveillance of Coronavirus in the community, particularly as Covid-19 deaths are not being investigated by the coroner.
There are also concerns that staff at care homes are not being provided with adequate PPE to reduce the spread of Coronavirus between residents and workers, while the Alzheimer’s Society, has warned that many care home residents are unable verbalise when they are feeling unwell.
In a statement the Department of Health said testing is being increased where care home residents and/or staff are symptomatic and said more information on this “important area of work will be provided later this week”.
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