The number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded in data published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is around 15% higher than the number of deaths recorded in data published by the NHS.
Data published by the ONS today put the death toll from COVID-19 in England and Wales at 6,235 for the week ending April 3.
According to Nick Stripe, head of health analysis and life events at the ONS, “When looking at data for England, this is 15% higher than the NHS numbers as they include all mentions of COVID-19 on the death certificate, including suspected COVID-19, as well as deaths in the community.”
In total, there were 16,387 deaths registered in England and Wales during the week ending 3 April – according to the ONS, this is “the highest weekly total since we started compiling weekly deaths data in 2005.”
For the year to date, the current number of deaths is 166,436, which is 2,240 more than the five-year average, according to data.
