England and Wales record lowest Covid deaths in six months

Restrictions are easing across the UK Credit: PA

Covid deaths in the England and Wales have fallen to the lowest number in over six months, the latest figures show.

A total of 362 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending April 16 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – the lowest number since the week ending October 2.

The figure is down 4% on the previous week’s total, although the ONS said the number of deaths registered is likely to have been affected by the recent Easter bank holidays.

Around one in 29 (3.5%) of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to April 16 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.

Waiters serve people eating and drinking at outside tables in Soho Credit: PA

Deaths involving Covid-19 among people in all age groups 50 and over have fallen by at least 95% since the second-wave peak.

A total of 196 Covid-19 deaths in the 70-and-over age group occurred in England and Wales in the week ending April 9, down from 7,409 deaths in the week ending January 22 – a drop of 97%.

Deaths for those aged 65-69 fell 96% in the same period, with drops of 95% for those aged 60-64, 94% for those aged 55-59 and 96% for those aged 50-54.

More than half the UK population has now had at least one Covid jab. Credit: PA

Deaths that occurred in the most recent week of reporting – the week to April 16 – are still being registered.

In the week ending 16 April, deaths involving Covid-19 accounted for 3.5% of all deaths in England and Wales, compared with 4.2% the week before.Of the deaths registered in England and Wales, 362 mentioned “novel coronavirus (Covid-19)". This is 17 fewer coronavirus-related deaths compared with the week before.

The total number of deaths registered in England and Wales was below the five-year average for the sixth consecutive week, the ONS said.

Some 10,438 deaths were registered in the week to April 16, 0.8% below the average for the corresponding period in 2015-19.

Prior to the six most recent weeks, the last time deaths were below average was in the week to September 4 2020.

Of the 362 deaths involving Covid-19 in Week 15 in England and Wales, 275 had this recorded as the underlying cause of death (76.0%).

A total of 152,205 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.

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