THE deaths of four more people that occurred in St Helens’ care homes have been linked to coronavirus.

According to data provided by St Helens Council, four deaths were suspected of being related to COVID-19 in the week leading up to May 29.

The council says 75 deaths that have taken place in the borough’s care homes are suspected of being related to coronavirus.

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The latest figures, which are based on death notifications from care providers, show that 189 people have died in St Helens’ care homes from all causes since the start of the outbreak up to May 29.

The new total is 33 higher than the previous week.

The council said the increase is due to one care home only providing the number of suspected COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the crisis.

A council spokesman said the local authority has now confirmed the actual death figures with this particular home.

The latest figures also show that 13 people tested positive in the week leading up to May 29, compared to 13 people the previous week.

The number of symptomatic cases has also seen a significant fall, with just one case compared to 24 the week previously.

Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the number of deaths across all settings, including those involving coronavirus, based on any mention of COVID-19 on the death certificate.

The latest weekly figures, which cover the deaths that occurred up to May 22 but were registered up to May 30, show that there have been 179 coronavirus-related deaths in St Helens since the start of the outbreak.

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The vast majority (94) occurred in hospital, which is lower than the 194 coronavirus-related deaths confirmed by NHS England at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

This is due to a lag in the death certification process and the fact that the hospitals takes patients from outside St Helens, including areas such as Knowsley and Halton.

The ONS figures show that 76 deaths linked to COVID-19 occurred in care homes in St Helens, while eight deaths occurred in private homes and one in a hospice.