More coronavirus deaths in Bedford care homes as it's revealed elderly residents could be among the first in line for a new type of vaccine

Further coronavirus-related deaths have occurred in Bedford care homes, new figures reveal.

Care home staff and elderly residents could be among the first in line for a new type of vaccine which is more than 90 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19 infection, according to new data.

Office for National Statistics data shows that 193 deaths involving Covid-19 were provisionally registered in Bedford up to November 7.

Of those, 37 occurred outside hospital – including 28 in care homes and seven at private homes. A further two deaths occurred in hospices, other community establishments or elsewhere.

That was up from 25 deaths in care homes up to October 17.

The latest figures come after hopes of a vaccine moved closer to reality, as pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German company BioNTech revealed their vaccine could prevent nine in 10 people from contracting the virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson cautiously welcomed the news, telling a Downing Street press conference that the vaccine had cleared a “significant hurdle” but there were more to cross before it could be used.

Interim guidance from the Government's joint committee on vaccination and immunisation says older adults in care homes and care home workers should be first in line for the jab.

Sarah Scobie director of research at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank, said another “bleak milestone” had been reached, adding: “Clearly we are now seeing the fallout from the looser social distancing restrictions over the summer beginning to play out.

“For the second week in a row the number of deaths recorded in hospitals is above the five-year average. It is likely we’ll see this trend continue for further weeks in some regions as hospitals take in patients as a result of the second spike in infections.

“It remains still too early to see the impact on deaths of both the tiered system and national lockdown measures for England.”

In the three weeks to November 7 in Bedford:

*Deaths outside hospital increased by three, climbing to a total of 37

*Hospital deaths increased by four to 156

*The overall death toll climbed by seven