A total of 210 deaths in England and Wales that occurred up to and including March 20 (and which were registered up to March 25) had Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.
This compares with 170 coronavirus-related deaths reported by NHS England and Public Health Wales up to and including March 20.
That is around a difference of 20 per cent more deaths than the number that had been released.
The difference between the coronavirus death figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and those published by NHS England and Public Health Wales is because of different methods of counting and reporting, the ONS explained.
The ONS death figures are based on the number of deaths registered in England and Wales where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate as “deaths involving Covid-19”. The number includes all deaths, not just those in hospitals, although there is usually a delay of at least five days between a death occurring and registration.
The figures published by NHS England and Public Health Wales are for deaths only among hospital patients who have tested positive for Covid-19, but include deaths that have not yet been registered.
