ALMOST half of all residents at a Sussex care home died with Covid-19 over the Christmas period, it has been reported.

Of the 27 people being cared for by Edendale Lodge care home in Crowhurst, 13 had lost their lives "with confirmed or suspected Covid since December 13", the home operator's managing director Adam Hutchison told The Guardian.

Speaking to the publication, he described the virus as "unstoppable" saying people at the care home "are sitting ducks".

The Argus: Edendale Lodge care home in CrowhurstEdendale Lodge care home in Crowhurst

More than a third of the staff at the site tested positive for Covid-19 during an outbreak of the virus in which residents died on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

The outbreak was discovered through routine swab testing at the care home and none of the residents who tested positive for Covid-19 had any symptoms of the disease when the results were returned, The Guardian reported.

And the virus was able to spread despite a series of measures in place to prevent infections within the home, which included a ban on visits (apart from at windows), PPE for carers and no use of agency staff who move between different care homes.

Mr Hutchison told the paper: "It’s hard for me to say how it got in. Because of the protocols we were following, everything was there."

Last spring, in the early stages of the pandemic, The Argus reported how Covid-19 had quickly spread through a large number of the care homes in Brighton and Hove.

The Argus: Practice Nurse Tina Sutton draws off a single dose from a vial, which can provide 10 individual doses to patients, of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinePractice Nurse Tina Sutton draws off a single dose from a vial, which can provide 10 individual doses to patients, of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

In June, it was reported to have broken out in about 40 per cent of the 38 care homes in the city.

During that month, figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed there had been at least 51 deaths of care home residents with coronavirus in Brighton and Hove.

Due to their vulnerability to the disease, care home residents are now among the priority groups to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

Brighton and Hove care homes have more than 1,000 residents who have been prioritised for coronavirus vaccinations before the end of January.

There were 1,811 care home residents in the area as of December, according to analysis of Care Quality Commission data by CSI Market Intelligence.

The National Care Forum said the target will be a significant challenge for health services across England, but achieving it would be the “booster” that everyone needs.