There is a "real issue" with Covid-19 deaths in care homes and the country must "get to grips with it", the deputy chief scientific adviser has said.
Dame Angela McLean said the number of new patients entering hospitals in England was falling away "pretty rapidly", while the hospital death toll was in decline.
But she said figures for the week beginning April 24 showed they were still rising in care homes.
“There is a real issue that we need to get to grips with,” she said.
She also added that the overall UK death toll is "higher than we would wish".
Dame Angela also said the latest data on social distancing showed the number of motor journeys was “creeping up”.
“It does trouble me,” she told the daily No 10 press conference.
Earlier today, the ONS released figures showing there were 29,710 deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales up to April 24 (and which were registered up to May 2).
A total of 6,820 (23 per cent) took place in care homes.
The ONS total is 34% higher than the Department of Health total.
This is because the ONS figures include all mentions of Covid-19 on a death certificate, including suspected Covid-19, and are based on the date that deaths occurred.
The Department of Health figures are based on when deaths were reported and are for deaths where a person has been tested positive for Covid-19.
It comes as separate data showed care homes notified the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of 6,391 deaths of residents in homes between April 10 and May 1.
