REDDITCH has been the area of Worcestershire hit the least by the coronavirus pandemic – and the borough’s number of Covid care home deaths is among the lowest in the country.

Figures updated on a weekly basis every Tuesday by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that up to May 1, there were 38 coronavirus-related deaths in Redditch.

That is one fewer than Malvern Hills (39), five fewer than Worcester (44) and much lower than the hardest-hit parts of Worcestershire – Bromsgrove (92), Wyre Forest (84) and Wychavon (79).

And while deaths in care homes are rising nationwide, the figures also show only three Covid-related deaths occurred in Redditch care homes before May 1. Wychavon, by comparison, had 37.

The majority of Redditch residents to die with coronavirus – 33 out of 38 – have done so in hospital and the figures show the number of new weekly deaths is falling in the borough overall.

Four people in Redditch died with coronavirus in the week ending May 1 – the lowest total for five weeks and seven fewer than the 11 who died the previous week.

However, while deaths from the virus are receding in Redditch, they are rising in care homes across the county.

Figures seen by the Advertiser show that more than a quarter – 52 out of 186 – of care or nursing homes in Worcestershire have confirmed coronavirus cases.

Altogether, there have been 254 confirmed care home cases of Covid-19 in the county and 150 deaths – which is almost a third of the total care home death toll, by all causes, of 455 between March 26 and May 10.

While Covid-19 hospital admissions have fallen, figures seen by the Advertiser showed there were still 59 patients being treated for the disease across Worcestershire’s hospitals as of Monday (May 11).

That figure included five people in intensive care.