Covid weekly deaths fall for third week in a row

The variety of deaths involving coronavirus registered every week in England and Wales has fallen for the third week in a row.

A complete of 1,066 deaths registered within the week ending 11 February talked about Covid-19 on the dying certificates, in accordance with the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS).

That is down 14 per cent on the earlier seven days and can be the bottom quantity since 922 deaths had been registered within the week to 7 January.

The figures recommend Covid-19 deaths at the moment are on a downwards development, following the rise in December and early January that was pushed by the Omicron variant of the virus.

Numbers are nonetheless properly beneath the extent seen on the peak of the second wave of the pandemic a 12 months in the past, nevertheless.

Some 8,433 deaths involving Covid-19 had been registered in England and Wales within the week to 29 January 2021.

This was practically six occasions the 1,484 registered within the peak week of the present wave (the seven days to 21 January 2022).

The comparatively low variety of deaths seen through the present wave displays the success of the vaccination programme, specifically the rollout of booster doses on the finish of final 12 months.

Vaccine effectiveness towards mortality with the Omicron variant for individuals aged 50 and over is estimated to be 95 per cent at two or extra weeks after a booster jab, in contrast with round 60 per cent at 25-plus weeks after a second dose, in accordance with the UK Well being Safety Company.

Total, a complete of 184,592 deaths have now occurred within the UK the place Covid-19 was talked about on the dying certificates, the ONS mentioned.

The best quantity on a single day was 1,486 on 19 January 2021.

Throughout the first wave of the virus, the each day toll peaked at 1,461 on 8 April 2020.

Round 9 in 10 deaths with Covid-19 on the dying certificates because the begin of the pandemic have coronavirus as the first reason behind dying, with a minority itemizing the virus as a contributory issue.