One in 10 deaths down to flu and pneumonia

Flu and pneumonia deaths accounted for nearly one in 10 of all deaths registered in England and Wales at the start of the year, the highest proportion since before the pandemic, data show.

Some 1,383 deaths registered in the week to Jan 6 had flu and pneumonia recorded as the underlying cause,

9 per cent of the total. The weekly figure peaked at 7 per cent in the pre-covid winter of 2019-20.

The Office for National Statistics figures also show that the number of registered deaths is well above average for the time of year. This is probably due to the rise in flu cases as well as colder weather, Covid and access to emergency care.