Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths but the number of deaths in care homes across the district is still rising.

The last confirmed death in the hospital was on May 4, meaning there has been a week with zero deaths reported at the hospital. However, it can take several days for deaths to be confirmed so that data could still change.

Each week on a Tuesday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals how many people have died outside of hospitals. That number has been rising higher in recent weeks and is close to overtaking Harrogate hospital's deaths.

Two weeks ago, the ONS data which included deaths up to April 17 revealed that there had been 22 deaths outside of hospitals. Last week, the data went up to April 24 and showed that there had been 39 deaths outside of hospitals.

This data now goes up to May 1 and shows that there have been 48 deaths outside of hospitals. 43 of those deaths have been in Harrogate's care homes with the others in private homes or "other communal establishments."

North Yorkshire County Council has said it is stepping up its support for the 235 care homes in its area. From last week, new care teams will call each care home with a welfare checklist.

The council will support struggling care homes with staffing, PPE, infection control, safe hospital discharge and more.

North Yorkshire is providing this new service in close partnership with the Independent Care Group, NHS colleagues, as well as Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission.

Richard Webb, North Yorkshire’s Corporate Director for Health and Adult Services said: