The Covid-19 coronavirus is no longer the leading cause of death in England or Wales, official figures show.
Data for March shows covid was the third leading cause of death in both countries.
It is the first time since October 2020 that the virus has not been the biggest killer in the two nations.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that Covid accounted for 9.2% of all deaths registered in England and 6.3% in Wales.
It was previously the leading cause of death each month from November to February.
The leading cause of death was dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in England, accounting for 10.1% of all deaths registered in March, and was ischaemic heart diseases in Wales at 11.8% of all deaths.
The new data comes a day after the Government said a further 22 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 127,327.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have been 151,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
Elsewhere in the world, India has reported a global record of more than 314,000 new coronavirus infections as a surge in the world’s second most populous country sends more people into a fragile health care system critically short of hospital beds and oxygen.
Deaths in India rose by 2,104 over the 24 hours, raising the overall toll to 184,657, the Health Ministry said.
