Number of Covid-19 deaths falls by a third in just a week

CORONAVIRUS deaths have fallen by almost one third in a week, as the virus now accounts for less than 5 per cent of all deaths, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

In the week ending July 10, 366 deaths involving Covid-19 were registered in England and Wales – accounting for just 4.2 per cent of all fatalities.

At the height of the pandemic, virusrelated deaths accounted for as many as 39 per cent of all fatalities in Britain.

In the previous week, ending July 3, there were 532 deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, marking a 31.2 per cent fall.

It is also the fourth week in a row that deaths have been below the number that would usually be expected at this time of year, based on an average from the previous five years.

There were a total of 8,690 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to July 10, according to the ONS, 560 fewer than the five-year average of 9,250. The number of deaths in care homes (283) and hospitals (901) was also below the five-year average.

The ONS said the pandemic is likely to have brought forward some deaths of vulnerable people, explaining the current below-average figures.

Deaths involving Covid-19 fell in all English regions. All but the east of

England had fewer overall deaths than the five-year average.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, wrote on Twitter: “While every death is a tragedy, this data is hugely promising. Coronavirus deaths have fallen for the 12th consecutive week and for the fourth consecutive week, total deaths in Britain are lower than normal for this time of year.”

Yesterday’s release puts the number of deaths registered in the UK involving Covid-19 at just over 56,100.

Figures published last week by the National Records of Scotland showed that 4,187 deaths involving Covid-19 had been registered in Scotland up to July 12, while 844 deaths had occurred in Northern Ireland up to July 10, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Together, these figures mean that so far 56,127 deaths have been registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, including suspected cases.