More dying of flu than Covid as coronavirus deaths plunge to lowest level in seven months

There were 260 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending April 23, the Office for National Statistics said
Mural art to remember coronavirus victims
PA Wire

Weekly registered deaths involving coronavirus in England and Wales are at their lowest level for seven months, figures show.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that deaths from Covid are down 28 per cent on last week and are at the lowest number since the week ending September 25.

Deaths caused by Covid were at 260 - but it was only listed as the underlying cause for 176 people.

This is compared to 278 deaths listed for flu and pneumonia - however this was mentioned on 1,203 death certificates.

The highest number of deaths to occur on a single day was 1,477 on January 19.

Covid-19 deaths have now fallen by 97 per cent since January.

Some 2.6 per cent of all registered deaths in the week ending April 23 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.

Overall, there were 9,941 deaths from all causes registered over the seven days.

It is the seventh consecutive week where the total number of deaths was below the five-year average.

The latest weekly figures include 50 care home resident deaths involving Covid-19 – down 28 per cent on the previous week.

A total of 42,381 care home residents in England and Wales have had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic began.

The figures cover deaths of care home residents in all settings, not just in care homes.

Some 152,491 deaths have now occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said.

The highest number of deaths to occur on a single day was 1,477 on January 19.

During the first wave of the virus, the daily death toll peaked at 1,461 deaths on April 8 2020.

HEALTH Coronavirus ONS
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The latest figures also offer fresh evidence of the combined impact of the lockdown restrictions and the vaccine rollout in driving down levels of infections and deaths.

Among people aged 70 and over, deaths involving Covid-19 have fallen by 98 per cent since the second-wave peak, according to PA news analysis of ONS data.

A total of 166 Covid-19 deaths in the 70-and-over age group occurred in England and Wales in the week ending April 16, down from 7,414 deaths in the week ending January 22.

Deaths for those aged 65-69 fell 96 per cent in the same period, with drops of 95 per cent for those aged 60-64 and 96 per cent for those aged both 55-59 and 50-54.

The total number of deaths, based on occurrences rather than registrations, has fallen by 97 per cent from 8,971 in the week to January 22 to 230 in the week to April 16.

Deaths that occurred in the most recent week of reporting – the week to April 23 – are still being registered.

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