Most of Bristol's coronavirus deaths in March and April happened in care homes and in the community, new statistics suggest.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today (May 6) recorded 153 deaths across Bristol city involving COVID-19, between the start of the outbreak and April 24.
Of these, 73 people died in hospitals, 69 in care homes, six at home, three in hospices, one in 'other communal establishments' and one 'elsewhere'.
Other communal establishments include prisons, halls of residence, hotels, and sheltered accommodation.
Nationally during that period, the figure for care home deaths was much lower than in hospitals.
Separate figures released yesterday (May 5) recorded no new deaths or coronavirus cases at Bristol hospitals in a 24-hour period, but these do not include numbers in care homes or in the community.
The most recent ONS data, for the week of April 18-24, revealed that there were 43 deaths in Bristol linked to coronavirus.
This was one less than the 44 deaths recorded the previous week.
The data is based on the number of deaths registered up to May 2, where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Delays in registering deaths could mean the number within that period could still rise, however.
Of all deaths registered in Bristol during that time frame, coronavirus contributed to 12 per cent.
Separate figures also published today (May 6) revealed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was notified of 82 deaths in care homes in Bristol between April 10 and May 1.
Care homes are required to log deaths with the CQC, and since April 10, they have also been asked to record deaths thought to have involved COVID-19.
This includes people who had not even been tested, and whose death certificate does not even mention coronavirus.
Within the April 10 to May 1 period, half of the 82 deaths were linked to COVID-19.
The ONS and CQC figures for care homes can differ as they are reported in different ways and there can be a delay in registering the data.
Figures suggest care home deaths in Bristol might have started to fall, with 22 coronavirus deaths flagged to the CQC between April 25 and May 1, compared to 31 between April 18 and 24.
Across the South West for the week ending April 24, 531 cases mentioned coronavirus on the death certificate, up from 501 the week before.
That represented more than a quarter (28 per cent ) of all deaths registered in the region in that week.
