Coronavirus: Deaths in England and Wales fall to new low
The number of coronavirus deaths recorded in England and Wales has fallen to a new low, according to the latest official figures.
Of the 8,964 deaths recorded in the week ending 31 July, just 193 were linked to Covid-19.
This is the lowest number of coronavirus-related deaths in the last 19 weeks and marks an 11.1 per cent decrease on the previous week.
Overall, Covid-19 accounted for only 2.2 per cent of all deaths in England and Wales in the final week of July.
The latest weekly figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, showed the number of deaths was one per cent below the five-year average. This is the seventh consecutive week that deaths have been below the five-year average.
However, the decline was only recorded for deaths in hospitals, care homes and other communal establishments. Deaths in private homes remained above the five-year average.
The positive figures come amid heightened debate over how the UK should proceed with the easing of lockdown rules.
The government is facing calls to get Brits back to work after data released this morning showed 730,000 people have lost their jobs since March.
Figures due tomorrow are expected to show that GDP declined 21 per cent in the second quarter — the largest decline of any G7 nation.
However, any easing of restrictions must be balanced with the risk of starting a second wave of coronavirus infections.
The government has said that getting children back to school in September must be a “national priority”.