A care home in Leeds has confirmed that 17 residents have died after showing coronavirus symptoms since the outbreak of the global pandemic.
Sunnyview House Care Home, on Manorfield, Beeston, is run by Bupa, and healthcare bosses have told LeedsLive that seven of those to have passed away had returned positive Covid-19 test results.
Ten more residents have also died after showing symptoms, although they were not tested for the disease.
A Bupa spokesperson confirmed that five other care home residents have also contracted coronavirus recently as staff try to limit the spread of the disease throughout the 84-bed facility in south Leeds.
The worrying figures mean that a fifth of all residents have died in the past six weeks after showing signs of coronavirus, although several residents have since recovered after contracting Covid-19.
Sunnyhouse View Care Home has been closed to all visitors since Saturday, March 21, and no new residents have been accepted for several weeks.
Residents are being cared for in their rooms by staff, who are wearing full personal protective equipment at all times.
Staff are also sectioned off to only care for a limited number of residents each in strictly colour-coded areas and are not moving between floors. Some of the carers are self-isolating themselves to ensure they come into contact with as few people as possible outside the care home.
Jane Madden, Regional Director for Sunnyview House said: "The wellbeing of our residents and staff is our priority. We’re doing everything we can to keep them safe and closely following the strict advice from Public Health England.
"Very sadly, we’ve lost seven residents who tested positive for COVID-19. Ten other have passed away having shown symptoms, though were not confirmed to have the virus. Our thoughts are with their families, who have been so supportive of the home and our staff during this time. We continue to stay in close contact with them all to ensure they have the support they need.
"This has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone, but the team have shown exceptional strength and continue to go above and beyond to deliver the best possible care. Thanks to this, a number of symptomatic residents are now back to full health."
Bosses at the care home are working closely with Public Health England to ensure residents and staff are regularly tested for Covid-19.
