MORE than 20 people have now died in care homes on the Isle of Wight due to the coronavirus.

Latest figures released today, Tuesday, May 26, from the Office for National Statistics show 22 people have now died in care homes, registered until May 23 — a rise of four since last week's statistics.

The number of those who have died at home, three, and those in hospice, one, remains the same.

All care home deaths have been recorded in the past five weeks up to May 23 — with a sharp increase since the beginning of the month.

Outbreaks of Covid-19 have been reported in more than a third of Island care, residential, and nursing homes, with 26 recording cases or symptoms of the virus.

As of May 25, the number of people who died at the Isle of Wight's only hospital, St Mary's, in Newport, due to Covid-19 is 36, according to NHS England figures.

The total number of confirmed cases on the Island is under 200, at 195 — with the third-lowest number of coronavirus cases in local authority areas in England.