Total deaths that involve Covid goes up to 77,077

THE actual number of deaths in the UK involving coronavirus has now soared above 77,000, according to new figures.

Compiled using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and other agencies, it is far higher than the government’s official toll of 62,033 – which counts only those who have died within 28 days of a positive test.

The figure of 77,077 includes more than 75,000 fatalities up to November 27 in which the disease was mentioned on the death certificate, along with more than 2,000 further deaths known to have occurred since then.

It comes as the government reported 12,282 new cases and an additional 616 deaths from Covid-19 – more than triple the 189 fatalities recorded on Monday and higher than last Tuesday’s 603.

Yesterday’s ONS report also revealed that one in four deaths in England and Wales registered at the end of November involved coronavirus.

There were 3,040 deaths registered where ‘novel coronavirus’ – not fully identified – was mentioned on the death certificate in the week ending

November 27. This is 24.4 per cent of the total deaths registered during that week, and the highest number of deaths involving Covid-19 since the week ending May 15. It is also up from 2,697 deaths in the week to November 20, a jump of 13 per cent (343 more deaths).

Overall, 12,456 deaths were registered in the week ending November 27 in England and Wales – 79 fewer than registered during the previous seven days. This is 20 per cent higher than the average number of deaths for this period of time over the past five years (an increase of 2,099 deaths).

In hospitals, care homes, private homes and other locations, the number of deaths was above the five-year average.