Coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales fall to six-week low
Deaths involving coronavirus fell to a six-week low in the week to 15 May, according to figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Of the deaths registered during the week to 15 May, 3,810 mentioned coronavirus, 120 fewer than in the previous week.
The total number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 15 May 2020 (week 20) was 14,573; this was 3,380 lower than week 18, 1,916 more than week 19 and 4,385 more than the five-year average.
However, ONS cautioned that the early May bank holiday contributed to both the decrease in the number of deaths registered in week 19 and the increase in the number of deaths registered in week 20, as deaths were unlikely to be registered on Friday 8 May.
The ONS said next week’s figures were likely to give a clearer picture of the coronavirus death rate.
The proportion of deaths occurring in care homes in the week to 15 May decreased to 30.6 per cent while deaths involving covid-19 as a percentage of all deaths in care homes decreased to 37.2 per cent.
In week 20, the number of deaths in care homes was 2,350 higher than the five-year average, while in hospitals there were 614 excess deaths; the total number of excess deaths involving covid-19 continued to decrease, the ONS said.
The percentage of deaths involving covid-19 continued to decrease across all English regions; the north west had the highest number of covid-19 deaths (620) for the second week in a row.
In Wales, there were 180 deaths registered involving covid-19, accounting for 23.3 per cent of all deaths registered in Wales.
Of all deaths involving covid-19 registered in the week to 15 May, 65.1 per cent occurred in hospital with the remainder mainly occurring in care homes (28.3 per cent), private homes (4.6 per cent) and hospices (1.3 per cent).