Weekly Covid deaths rise after bank holiday registration delays
Some 922 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending January 7 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Weekly registered deaths involving coronavirus in England and Wales have risen after reporting delays over the Christmas period, figures show.
Some 922 deaths registered in the week ending January 7 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is up 58% on the previous seven days, but the ONS said the number of registrations will have been affected by delays over the festive season.
In the latest week, around one in 13 (7.5%) registered deaths mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.
The number of registered care home deaths involving Covid-19 more than doubled from 64 to 130.
The ONS figures cover deaths of care home residents in all settings, not just in care homes.
The week-on-week changes will have been affected by the bank holidays on December 27 and 28, when register offices were likely to be closed.
The ONS said it often sees high death registrations in the first two weeks of January as register offices deal with a backlog.
Deaths involving coronavirus have remained low throughout the latest wave of cases, with the vaccine rollout playing a major role.