A Beckenham care home has confirmed it is experiencing an outbreak of coronavirus, with the vaccine just two weeks away.

Norton Court, on Haynes Road, has multiple cases across its 45-flat facility, according to care provider Mears.

The number of residents or staff who have tested positive has not been confirmed, however all tenants are said to be self-isolating.

A spokesperson for Mears commented: "We can confirm that there are confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Norton Court. Mears have been working very closely with Public Health England, the London Borough of Bromley and the local Covid nurse and the quality assurance team.

“We are confident that we are following all local and government guidance to the letter to protect our residents and our hardworking colleagues.

"Government guidelines have been followed very strictly to ensure that all tenants are self-isolating and all staff are wearing the correct PPE and we have plenty of stock of this available.

We understand that this will be a worrying time for families of residents. We are keeping everyone updated and anyone who is concerned should get in touch with us.

“Our primary concern right now is to ensure that the residents are safe and comfortable."

The Covid-19 vaccine will not be ready to go into care homes for another next two weeks, according to the medicines regulator, despite care home residents and staff being top priority.

Because of how the vaccine doses are packed, the regulator needs to approve the way in which they are broken down into smaller consignments for distribution to care homes, while ensuring that the vaccine stays at very cold temperatures.

At the moment, the vaccine is only available at 50 hospital hubs across the UK.