Covid kills half of Sussex care home's residents over Christmas

Exclusive: We're sitting ducks,' says Edendale Lodge boss, as fears rise of variant breaching homes' defences

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A care home in East Sussex has been devastated by Covid, losing half of all its residents to the disease over Christmas, fuelling fears the new, more transmissible virus variant sweeping the south-east of England is beginning to breach homes' defences.

Thirteen of 27 residents at Edendale Lodge care home in Crowhurst had died with confirmed or suspected Covid since 13 December, said the home operator's managing director, Adam Hutchison, who also runs care homes in Kent.