England and Wales suffered their deadliest week on record this month - while new figures show the coronavirus death toll is more than 7,000 higher than previously reported.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today reveals the number of Covid-19-related deaths from the start of the year to April 17 was 35% higher than previous estimates.
Overall in the week between April 11 and 17, which includes Easter Sunday, there were 22,351 deaths, with Covid-19 mentioned on 8,758 death certificates.
This is the highest weekly total since comparable records started in 1993 - and almost double the five-year average.
By April 17 there had been 21,284 deaths linked to the deadly virus in England - compared to the 13,917 announced in daily death tolls.
And a further 1,016 fatalities were recorded in Wales, 61% higher than the 632 deaths reported by Public Health Wales.
This is 9.2% of the UK's overall death toll.
And deaths in care homes have tripled in the past three weeks - with coronavirus accounting for 28% of those reported.
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Between April 10 and April 25, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was notified of 4,343 deaths involving Covid-19 in care homes.
The ONS figures show the number of cases where Covid-19 was mentioned on death certificates, including in combination with other health conditions.
They include those who died outside of hospitals - who are not included in the daily figures announced by health authorities.
Of the deaths outside of hospitals in the week ending April 17, more than 3,000 were in care homes.
The data shows:
- 3,096 deaths happened in care homes
- 883 in private homes
- 190 in hospices
- 61 in other communal establishments
- 86 elsewhere
In London, more than 50% of deaths were linked to Covid-19 during the week up to April 17.
It comes after the number of hospital deaths passed 20,000 at the weekend, and yesterday stood at 21,092.
The latest figures come as the government faces calls to reveal its next move, with the current lockdown set to expire on May 7.
At the weekend a government scientific advisor warned that the UK's death toll could top 100,000 by the end of the year if the lockdown is eased too soon.
Prof Neil Ferguson said that even allowing young people back to work would be dangerous, as it would give the killer bug a chance to spread again.
Ministers are anxious about a second peak, which could lead to another lockdown being put in place.
Yesterday Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in his first speech since his own battle against the killer bug, said the lockdown will continue in efforts to prevent Covid-19 spreading.
Speaking outside Downing Street, he said social distancing must go on - otherwise it would risk "not only a new wave of death and disease - also an economic disaster".
And it would mean the UK must "slam on the brakes" with a second lockdown all over again, he said.
He added: "I refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the British people and risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the NHS."
