Virus deaths more than halve in 3 weeks

THE number of deaths attributed to Covid-19 has more than halved in three weeks, according to figures yesterday.

There were 4,079 coronavirus deaths in the week to February 19 – a fall of 1,612 from the previous week.

These figures were based on deaths in which doctors certified the patient had shown symptoms of the virus.

The drop in deaths since the third wave peak at the end of January is dramatic – down from 8,433 to less than half of that in a single week, according to the Office for National Statistics.

A top analyst predicted yesterday that the country’s mortality rate could fall to below normal levels by early next month. Professor David Spiegelhalter said: ‘Deaths in the over-65s – the vaccinated age group – are now halving every week. It’s better than anyone had expected I think.

‘Non-Covid deaths are running at a very low level and it means that by the end of this month our overall death rate will be less than average. That’s an extraordinary thing.’

Covid-linked deaths made up fewer than three in 10 of all deaths in the latest week covered by the ONS figures, down from well over a third in the previous week.

According to the ONS, 29.5 per cent of all deaths were connected by doctors to the virus in the week to February 19.

Across the whole of the UK, the number of deaths registered in the week ending in the same week was 15,577 which was 2,374 higher than the five-year average.

Of those deaths, 4,447 deaths involved Covid-19, some 1,668 lower than in the previous week.

Deaths reported by doctors as involving Covid-19 decreased in all English regions compared with the previous week, with the South East of England recording the largest decrease of 338 deaths.

The ONS figures – based on death registrations and death certificates on which doctors report Covid symptoms – are different from the daily Covid death figures published by Public Health England which show numbers of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive.

PHE yesterday revealed that a further 343 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid, bringing the UK total to 123,296. There have also been a further 6,391 lab-confirmed cases – with the total now standing at 4,188,400.