Care home virus deaths rising sharply

As the death toll in hospitals appears to be declining, figures today reveal a new frontline – care homes, where deaths are rising sharply amid warnings that the peak of the outbreak has not yet been reached.

The government insists it set out a strategy for care homes in the early stages, and today announced a new expansion of testing – to include residents and staff who are not showing symptoms.

But familiar questions have arisen about lack of protective equipment and whether tests were available early enough.