TWO people have died after testing positive for coronavirus at a Swindon care home.

The sad news comes as the government announced plans to test every vulnerable person in care who is showing symptoms of Covid-19.

Deaths related to the disease are only included in the government’s daily figures if they happen while in hospital.

However, provisional figures for overall deaths in the UK - which include private homes and care facilities - are being recorded by the Office for National Statistics and released a few days later.

The latest available ONS figures reveal that there were 6,235 deaths involving Covid-19 by April 3, - 2,142 more than the amount reported by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Two of these deaths were at Orchid Care in Haydon Wick.

A spokeswoman for the care home told the Adver: “It is with great regret that I can confirm that two residents sadly passed away after testing positive for coronavirus. Our thoughts are with their loved ones at this difficult time.

“Our staff are working exceptionally hard to safeguard the health and wellbeing of all our residents and we are extremely proud of each and every one of them.

“All our staff are well versed in infection control and we have robust policies in place to deal with the outbreak. This includes following all Public Health England advice in relation to the use of PPE in care homes and the care of residents with confirmed or suspected coronavirus.

“We have, and continue to, provide all necessary PPE for staff as and when this is required. We have no shortage of PPE in the home.

“Our top priorities remain the health and wellbeing of our residents, and the staff team who care for them during this challenging time. We are doing everything in our power to ensure they have the support they need.”

The government announced that all symptomatic care residents will be tested for the coronavirus and all patients discharged from hospital will be tested before going into care homes.

Plus, all social care staff who need a test will have access to one. The Care Quality Commission will contact all 30,000 care providers by the end of the week to offer tests.

Currently, the first five symptomatic residents in a care home setting are tested to provide confirmation of whether if there is an outbreak.

But as lab capacity increases, the government will expand testing to include all care home residents who develop symptoms.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “I am deeply conscious that people in residential care are among the most vulnerable to coronavirus. We are doing everything we can to keep workers, residents and their families safe, and I am determined to ensure that everyone who needs a coronavirus test should be able to have access to one.

“We have already begun testing social care workers and will roll this out nationwide over the coming days. And as we continue to ramp up our testing programme, we will test all current care home residents with coronavirus symptoms and all new care home residents who are discharged from hospital into care.

“Testing is key in our battle against coronavirus, and as part of our plan to prevent the spread and save lives we will ensure that everyone in social care who needs a test can have a test.”

Dedicated testing has already begun for frontline staff, including social care workers and in addition to over 20,000 tests for NHS workers and their families.

Care providers will identify workers eligible for testing and refer them to their nearest testing centre.