Weekly Covid deaths in England and Wales top 1,000 for first time since June after 41% spike - but number of excess fatalities were still only 10% above normal levels

The number of people dying from Covid-19 each week in England and Wales rose above 1,000 in the last week of October for the first time since June, official figures revealed today.

The Office for National Statistics said the virus was mentioned on 1,379 death certificates in the seven-day spell that ended October 30 — 41 per cent up on the 978 deaths recorded in the previous week. It is the first time the milestone has been crossed since the first full week of June.

Eighty-six per cent of the deaths had the virus registered as the underlying cause, meaning around 170 people a day died directly from Covid-19 in the week before lockdown, on average. For reference, dementia — the biggest killer in England and Wales — kills the equivalent of 150 people every day.

The report also revealed that excess deaths remained only 10 per cent above the five-year average, at 996 above the expected with 10,887 recorded fatalities. In the worst days of the outbreak in April, excess deaths hit 11,000 per week.

Excess deaths are considered the most accurate way of measuring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic because they include people who have died with the virus without testing positive, as well as those who die of other causes as an indirect result of the outbreak.

Although the coronavirus outbreak stalled in England and Wales before the second lockdown was imposed as Tier Three put a lid on the spread of the virus, deaths will continue to rise for at least another two weeks because it can take weeks for someone who has caught the virus to become severely ill.

The tally comes after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced yesterday its vaccine was revealed to be 90 per cent effective in early trials, sending markets soaring at the prospect life may soon return to normal. But Boris Johnson sought to dampen expectations last night, reminding everyone the vaccine will need to be approved by regulators and that they should still adhere to social-distancing regulations. 

LONDON WAS THE ONLY REGION TO SEE DEATHS FALL BELOW AVERAGE 

London was the only region in England and Wales to see deaths fall below average for this time of year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In the final week of October the capital's deaths dropped 4.3 per cent below average, falling to 888 compared to the five-year average of 928. 

In the previous week its deaths were 2.2 per cent above average, at 922 compared to the 902 expected at this time of year. 

The North West suffered the biggest surge in deaths, which were 31.4 per cent above average.

Officials counted 1,754 deaths from all causes in the last week of October, compared to the five-year average of 1,335.

The second biggest surge was recorded in Yorkshire and the Humber, where cases were 18.5 per cent above average at 1,168 compared to the five-year average of 986.

In other coronavirus developments today:

ONS data revealed that fatalities where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate in England and Wales more than quadrupled in October, after they rose above 1,300 from 321 at the beginning of the month.

Deaths are expected to continue to rise for several more weeks because of an earlier spike in infections recorded throughout the two nations. 

The total number of deaths recorded in England and Wales reached 10,887 in the last week of October, a rise of one per cent compared to the previous week's 10,739 fatalities. 

The number of fatalities involving the coronavirus was still below those involving pneumonia and flu, with the two common diseases linked to 1,922 deaths. 

But only 15 per cent of these deaths had the infections named as the underlying cause — the factor that led to the person's death, compared to 85 per cent of all the Covid-19 linked deaths. 

DEATHS IN PRIVATE HOMES PASS 30,000 

The number of excess deaths that have occurred in private homes in England and Wales since the start of the coronavirus pandemic has now passed 30,000.

Excess deaths are the number of deaths that are above the average for the corresponding period in the previous five years.

There were 31,684 excess deaths in homes in England and Wales registered between March 7 and October 30, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Of this total, 2,676 – 8 per cent – were deaths involving Covid-19.

Any death involving Covid-19 is counted as an excess death because Covid-19 did not exist before this year.

Those aged between 85 and 89 saw the biggest increase in fatalities in the last week of October, with 93 more deaths recorded. 

They also suffered the largest number of deaths where the virus was mentioned on the death certificate, at 281.

The second highest number was recorded in those aged between 80 and 84 and those over 90, as both age groups each recorded 259 deaths from the virus.

There were no fatalities in people under the age of 24 for the second week in a row.

Deaths in private homes topped 30,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic, and remained above the five-year average at 871 fatalities.

Those in hospitals also rose above the average (at 244) but those in care homes and other locations were below average for the time of year.

The ONS figures are considered to be more accurate than those released by the Department of Health every day, as they also include people thought to have died from the virus but never received a test to confirm the diagnosis.

At the height of the first wave, officials were unable to test enough people meaning they relied heavily on ONS numbers to establish the actual death toll in the country.

Each death is also confirmed with a death certificate, meaning there is no risk of duplication of figures. 

The figures will continue to climb following the imposition of a second national lockdown in England as it will take time to drive down the total number of new infections.