EIGHT residents have died of coronavirus in care homes in Wyre Forest, according to the latest figures.

Data published by the Office of National Statistics has revealed the number of virus-related deaths in the county since the start of the covid-19 outbreak in the UK.

The figures include three care home deaths in Redditch, 16 in Bromsgrove and two in Worcester as of April 17.

Further data seen by The Shuttle suggests that, as of April 27, there had been 178 confirmed coronavirus cases in 48 Worcestershire care homes.

Since March 26, these figures show there had been 91 virus-related deaths in 39 care homes across the county.

Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier described the situation in care homes as "very worrying", adding that the correct PPE was essential to stop further spread.

He said: "The number of deaths in care homes across the country is awful. It's very worrying.

"We have district nurses that need to enter care homes and some are not getting the necessary PPE they need, and once coronavirus is in a nursing home, it's difficult to stop it from spreading like wildfire.

"The figures relating to deaths also somewhat depend on the GP who does the death certificates - whether they believe coronavirus was the cause of death.

"We as MPs have weekly conference calls with a number of different agencies including the county council and the NHS and we will then feedback to Government where they need help."

Mr Garnier admitted he had been contacted by care home staff reporting a lack of PPE, but said: "Having spoken to the NHS and the council, they are absolutely on top of this and I have every confidence they know what they are doing.

"PPE is a problem we are working hard to fix."

The MP said that the county's first coronavirus case in a care home was confirmed within Wyre Forest three weeks ago.

At Nightingales of Kidderminster care home in Wolverley, caravans have been donated to allow staff to stay on the grounds as they try to keep it free of covid-19.

Residents at Brook Court in Kidderminster are being cared for in their rooms as much as possible to minimise any risk of infection.

Home manager Gill Pratt said: "We are working to the strictest infection control measures and doing all we can to continue to deliver the best possible care and support our residents during this challenging time.

"Brook Court has a number of control processes in place to ensure anyone who comes into the homes, including team members, is screened via a health and temperature check.

"Everyone is also asked to follow additional hygiene measures, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as appropriate."

She said the home had access to a "full supply" of the required PPE, and said the local authorities had been sending regular updates and information about testing, policies and admissions.

Elaine Carolan, director of adult services at Worcestershire County Council. said: “It’s extremely sad that we’re now seeing cases of Coronavirus within some of our care homes and in some cases residents are losing their lives due to the virus.

“We have a comprehensive support package for all care homes in conjunction with NHS partners and this includes ensuring that care homes have an adequate supply of PPE. To date we have already supported over 300 providers.”

As of 7pm on Tuesday (April 28), there had been a total of 1,072 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in Worcestershire.