Coronavirus death figures still rising

The number of deaths involving coronavirus registered each week has risen above 1,000 for the first time since early February.

A total of 1,003 deathsregistered in England and Wales in the seven days to April 15 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – despite the figures covering a period that includes the

Good Friday bank holiday, when most register offices were closed.

This is up 4% on the previous week and the highest number since the seven days to February 11.

The ONS says the increase is smaller than in previous weeks but this is likely to reflect the impact of the bank holiday when very few deaths will have been registered and that deaths involving corona virus are continuing on an upwards trend–though they remain well below levels seen in previous wave soft he virus.

The rise follows the recent surge in infections driven by the Omicron BA.2 variant.

Infections are now estimated to be falling across the country after hitting record levels in March, but prevalence of Covid-19 remains high, the ONS said.

The ONS says the relatively low number of deaths during recent months reflects the success of the vaccination programme, in particular, the rollout of booster doses at the end of last year.

Overall, 193,528 deaths have now occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said.

Around nine in 10 deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate since the start of the pandemic have coronavirus as the primary cause of death.