The weekly number of deaths registered in England and Wales has dipped below the five-year average for the first time since before lockdown was imposed.
The total fell below the five-year average for the first time since the week ending March 13, the Office for National Statistics revealed.
There were 65 fewer deaths registered in the week ending June 19 – 0.7 per cent under the average number of fatalities for this period over five years.
In both hospitals and care homes the number of deaths fell below the average, with 782 and 49 fewer deaths respectively. However, there were 827 excess deaths in people’s private homes.
Of the 9,339 deaths recorded in the seven days up to June 19, 783 mentioned “novel coronavirus” – the lowest number involving Covid-19 for 12 weeks.
These are recorded as excess deaths, because coronavirus was not a cause of death before 2020.
The South East, South West, North West and East regions of England registered no excess deaths, while the number of registered deaths in the West Midlands was similar to the five-year average.
In Wales, where deaths dropped below the average for the first time in three months last week, death registrations inched upwards to 44 deaths higher than than the five-year average.
The number of weekly deaths involving Covid-19 fell in all regions in England and Wales with 31,364 recorded in hospitals.
Some 14,658 deaths occurred in care homes, 2,259 in private homes, 684 in hospices, 221 in other communal establishments and 185 elsewhere, the ONS said.
