Four in 10 deaths involved Covid in week ending January 15
Coronavirus accounted for four in 10 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending January 15 - the highest proportion recorded during the pandemic so far.There were a total of 7,245 deaths registered in the week ending January 15 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The number of deaths is the third highest weekly number recorded during the pandemic with 40.2% of all deaths involving Covid-19.
The data also revealed more than 30,000 care home residents in England and Wales have died from Covid-19, the latest data shows.
As of January 15, 30,851 care home resident deaths involving Covid-19 had been registered.
The figures cover deaths of care home residents in all settings, not just in care homes.
A total of 1,719 deaths in care homes were registered in the week to January 15 – the highest figure since the week ending May 21 2020.
Although there has been a huge amount of effort put into preventing coronavirus from getting into care homes, many residences are struggling with the latest surge of infections.
Earlier in January a carer told ITV News UK Editor Paul Brand they were "back at breaking point".
The total number of deaths registered in the week ending on January 15 was 18,042 which was 30.5% higher than the five-year average.
All areas of England recorded a higher than average weekly deaths for the 10th week in a row.
All but one English region saw higher Covid-19 deaths, with the biggest rises in the South East and East of England.
In Wales, the total number of registered deaths in the week up to January 15 was 314 higher than the five-year average.
Total deaths in Wales have exceeded the first wave peak of 1,169 deaths recorded in the week ending 17 April 2020 for two weeks in a row.
The number of daily coronavirus cases in the UK has been falling in recent days from a high of 68,000 on January 8 down to 22,195 recorded on Monday.
Cases are still far higher than they were in November and the government has been reluctant to say when lockdown will end, but there have been warnings it may not be until late Spring.
The number of patients in hospital is still at record highs, although has dropped slightly in the past few days.