A total of 20 residents at a care home have died due to suspected Coronavirus – with four deaths taking place in the past 24 hours.
The Berelands Care Home, in Prestwick, Ayrshire, has been ravaged by the deadly bug.
One resident passed away on Friday while three people died yesterday.
Some 16 people had died in the previous days.
Berelands Care Home in Prestwick confirmed 16 residents have died since 4 April. (Man in PPE pictured outside the care home)
A spokesman for Berelands Care Home said: ‘We are deeply saddened to confirm that four more residents have died from what we believe to be Covid-19.
‘Three of our residents passed away yesterday, and one this morning.
‘This is profoundly upsetting, and our deepest sympathies are with their families and friends.
‘We are entirely focused on caring for, and protecting, all our residents and are extremely grateful to our dedicated staff who are doing their absolute best at this extraordinarily difficult time.
‘We are closely monitoring the health of residents and staff, and supporting the families of those who have died, while continuing to follow all official guidance.’
It comes as more than 40 per cent of nursing homes may have cases of coronavirus, a nationwide poll of thousands of carers suggests.
Scotland’s First Minister admitted a similar figure North of the Border.
Mrs Sturgeon said 433 care homes – about 40 per cent of all those in Scotland – had now reported cases of the virus.
Of 2,800 carers surveyed nationwide, a shocking 42 per cent said they were looking after residents who were suspected of having the killer infection.
An additional 28 per cent said they were dealing with patients who had officially been diagnosed.
Almost half (44 per cent) of care workers said they knew of a colleague who had suspected coronavirus.
A spokesman for Berelands Care Home said: ‘We are deeply saddened to confirm that four more residents have died from what we believe to be Covid-19’
It provides the biggest snapshot yet of the impact of COVID-19 on the sector and suggests the care home crisis is deeper than the Government is willing to admit.
Number 10 insists that just 15 per cent of nursing homes have been plagued with two or more coronavirus cases.
The survey, conducted by ITV News and the care homes reviews website carehome.co.uk, also found eight out of 10 carers have not had access to testing themselves.
Three quarters reported no access to testing for their residents.
Almost all (94 per cent) of those asked felt that the government should be doing more to test clients and staff in care homes.
Access to personal protective equipment, or PPE , was also of concern to respondents.
Half said they had not received sufficient quantities of PPE, whilst 59 per cent felt the PPE they received was not safe or did not offer the necessary levels of protection.
Eighty-three per cent of carers said they were worried about transmitting COVID-19 to their family after working in the homes.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s view of the care home situation has been in stark contrast to what care providers have said.
Mr Hancock said on Thursday that 15 per cent of care homes had two or more cases of the virus – one in seven.
He appeared to deny claims made by the care home executives that up to two thirds of all care homes have outbreaks when asked about the validity of claims on Good Morning Britain.
He described the 15 per cent figure as ‘robust’ and said Number 10 has ‘high confidence’ in it.
About 5,300 care home residents in the UK have died from coronavirus, it was predicted last night.
Healthcare analysts LaingBuisson surveyed groups representing 13 per cent of UK care homes. They suggest up to 28 per cent of coronavirus deaths in the UK may have occurred in care homes.
The first comprehensive survey of the sector experts found that 1.4 per cent of older residents in social care have died outside hospital due to confirmed or suspected coronavirus as of April 15.
By extrapolation, there have been an estimated 5,300 deaths in total. The shocking figure is higher than the Daily Mail revealed it to be earlier this week.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s view of the care home situation has been in stark contrast to what care providers have said. He appeared to deny claims that up to two thirds of all care homes have outbreaks when asked about the validity of claims on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (pictured) and described the 15 per cent figure as ‘robust’
It comes as more than 40 per cent of nursing homes may have cases of coronavirus , a nationwide poll of thousands of carers suggests. (A visitors’ notice stating cases of COVID-19 within Coplands Nursing Home in Wembley, northwest London)
Meanwhile, in Scotland, a quarter of all coronavirus deaths in Scotland have been in care homes, according to official data.
The National Records of Scotland showed 962 people diagnosed with, or suspected of having, COVID-19 had died.
Of those, 237 (24.6 per cent) were in care homes, 586 in hospitals, 128 in homes and one in an undisclosed location.
The figure was five times higher than the 5 per cent number given by the Office for National Statistics, which collates data in England and Wales.