Prognosis
Elderly Left ‘In the Lurch’ by U.K. Response to Coronavirus
- Ministers under pressure to do more tests in care homes
- Industry representatives report lack of protective equipment
Thatched cottages line an empty road during the national lockdown in the village of West Lulworth, U.K., on April 10.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The U.K. government is under pressure from the care industry for failing to protect the country’s elderly from the coronavirus and for under-reporting the number of deaths Covid-19 has caused.
Older people, many of whom already have medical conditions, are among the most vulnerable to the virus. The risk is that once one resident in a care home catches the disease, it can spread throughout a facility. So far, though, the government has focused its attention on equipping National Health Service hospitals with critical care beds and protective equipment.