Omicron wave deaths on a par with usual winter flu mortality

DEATHS from Covid in England and Wales fell to similar levels as usual winter mortality from flu and pneumonia in the omicron wave, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.

The ONS said from December 2021 to March, Covid deaths had “fallen more in line” with pre-pandemic winters. Figures showed an average of 3,178 people a month died from flu or pneumonia in the four winter months between 2001 to 2002, and 2018 to 2019.

Last winter, 2,909 people died on average each month because of Covid.

The ONS said: “Deaths due to flu and pneumonia have fallen to historic lows during the coronavirus pandemic.

“While deaths due to Covid in the latest winter were still double that of those due to flu and pneumonia, they were more in line with those seen due to flu and pneumonia in pre-pandemic years.

“However, it’s too soon to tell whether Covid-19 will develop a similar seasonal pattern to flu and pneumonia.”

The latest data show there were more deaths involving flu and pneumonia, where it was mentioned on the death certificate, than Covid from March 2020 to last month.

There were 170,600 deaths where Covid was cited as a cause or contributory factor, compared with 219,207 deaths involving flu and pneumonia.

However, deaths “due to” Covid were more than four times as high as flu and pneumonia in that period.

There were 148,606 deaths where Covid was the main cause of death in England and Wales, over 35,007 deaths from flu and pneumonia.

The data also showed the average age of those dying from Covid was younger than flu and pneumonia. From March 2020 to March this year, 73.7 per cent of deaths from flu and pneumonia in England and Wales occurred among those aged 80 and over, compared with 58.3 per cent of deaths from Covid. Roughly 1 in 12 deaths from Covid were in people younger than 60, compared with 1 in 20 deaths from flu and pneumonia.

Sarah Caul, head of mortality analysis at the ONS, said: “We can’t yet say for certain whether the conditions are behaving in similar ways or will do in the future; we will continue to monitor the data closely.”