THE rate of coronavirus deaths outside hospital in Bracknell Forest is falling, new figures suggest.

It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the epidemic in care homes "is coming under control", as he announced the Government's testing regime would be expanded to thousands more homes across England.

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A social care task force has also been introduced to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the sector, a move which charity Alzheimer’s Society said was “badly needed to ensure an end to the devastation that coronavirus has wreaked in care homes".

Office for National Statistics data shows that in Bracknell Forest, 63 deaths involving Covid-19 were provisionally registered up to June 6.

Of those, 15 occurred outside hospital – including nine in care homes and six at private homes.

It means the area's death toll outside hospital did not increase in the latest weekly period.

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The figures, based on where Covid-19 is mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, include deaths that occurred up to May 29 but were registered up to eight days later.

The number of deaths involving coronavirus in England and Wales reached its lowest weekly level for eight weeks at the end of last month, ONS data shows.

There were 1,822 deaths involving coronavirus in England and Wales registered in the week ending May 29.

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At less than a fifth of all deaths registered that week, Covid-19 accounted for the lowest proportion of fatalities since the week lockdown was imposed.

In the week to June 6:

Hospital deaths increased by one to 48

The overall death toll climbed by one, compared to a rise of three in the previous week