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Covid-19-related deaths in England and Wales hit their highest level since the first wave of the disease amid government warnings that the UK strain of the virus could be deadlier than previously thought .
The number of deaths linked to the disease increased by nearly 20% to 7,245 in the week ending Jan. 15, the Office of National Statistics said on Tuesday, the third highest toll of the pandemic. Deaths in London, which is at the center of the current outbreak, are more than 84% above the five-year average for the second week in a row, the data shows.
Death toll
Coronavirus deaths in England and Wales increased by 20% last week
Source: Office of National Statistics
The UK death toll from Covid-19 is set to surpass 100,000 this week and hospitals are nearing capacity. Daily infections have started to decline with the nation in severe lockdown, while a rapid vaccine rollout provides some hope as the peak passes.
- The total number of deaths in England and Wales was 30.5% above the five-year average.
- Deaths linked to the virus accounted for 40.2% of all deaths in England and Wales during the week – the highest proportion on record
- Almost 90% of all deaths involving Covid make it the underlying cause, compared to 7.2% for those mentioning flu and pneumonia
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