MOST deaths linked to the coronavirus in Oxford have occurred outside hospital, new figures show.

The official NHS England figures released each day for Covid-19 deaths only show deaths at hospital.

But Office for National Statistics data shows that, of the 68 deaths provisionally registered in Oxford up to May 23, 36 were outside hospital.

Read also: Air ambulance called to serious car crash

Those included 25 in care homes and nine at private homes.

A further two deaths occurred in hospices, other community establishments or elsewhere.

The figures include deaths that occurred up to May 15 but were registered up to eight days later.

The previous week, there had been 35 deaths registered outside of hospital.

The ONS figures are based on where Covid-19 is mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, including in combination with other health conditions.

Read also: Police on horseback chase suspected bike thief through city streets

Separate figures reveal that 11 of the 17 care homes in Oxford had reported a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 up to May 17.

That was four more than the seven which had reported outbreaks up to May 3, and it means that at least 65 per cent of residential and nursing homes in the city have been hit by the virus.

The data does not reveal whether the reported outbreaks were still active.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation, said the latest figures 'illustrate the huge loss of life in care homes'.

Read also: Latest court results for Oxfordshire

She added: "Protecting vulnerable people needing social care should be given more obvious priority."

In the latest NHS England figures yesterday, there were no new deaths recorded in hospitals in Oxfordshire for a second day in a row.

The total number of deaths at the county's hospitals is still 177.

Public Health England figures show that, as of Wednesday, 2,047 people had tested positive for Covid-19 in Oxfordshire, up from 2,042 on Tuesday.