Around four in 10 of the registered UK deaths in the week ending 15 January were attributed to COVID-19 – the highest number so far
UK deaths due to COVID-19 are now expected to have surpassed 100,000, following the release of figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
A total of 7,245 registered fatalities in England and Wales have mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate in the week ending on the 15th of January, the figures from the ONS show.
That’s an increase from 6,057 deaths the week before and is the highest weekly number since the 24th of April 2020.
Around four out of 10 of the deaths (40.2%) that were registered in the week ending on the 15th of January were attributed to COVID-19, which us the highest proportion of the coronavirus pandemic so far.
This comes after people who have already been vaccinated for COVID-19 could still transmit the coronavirus on to other people and should continue following the lockdown restrictions, England’s deputy chief medical officer has stressed.
Analysing the data released this morning, Ed Conway the economics and data editor for Sky News said that the numbers now show a total of 107,907 deaths across the four UK nations.
Conway explained: “The ONS measure is slightly different to the official government count, published each day on its dashboard – which classifies a COVID death as one where someone had tested positive for the virus within 28 days of their death.”
“The ONS measure, however, is widely viewed as being a more comprehensive, if less timely, measure of the direct toll of the disease.”
In the same week, the number of registered fatalities involving COVID-19 had increased in eight out of nine of the English regions compared with those of the previous week, with the South East and East of England having their highest weekly numbers of recorded deaths as a result of the coronavirus.
The figures have also shown that the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Wales exceeded the first wave peak for the virus for two weeks in a row.
This comes after data on when the nation’s COVID-19 lockdown measures can start to be eased in England will be assessed before mid-February, according to the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson has said that the government will be “looking at the potential of relaxing some measures” before the middle of the next month.
Conway added: “It’s another week of depressing news… it is one of those moments none of us wanted to report.”
Yesterday, the United Kingdom recorded its lowest daily rise in cases of the coronavirus so far this year, with 22,195 fatalities, according to figures released by the Department for Health and Social Care.
