As anticipated earlier by the Office for National Statistics, the UK has surpassed Italy with the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in Europe. This afternoon, the Department of Health has announced a rise of 693 to 29,427, exceeding Italy’s latest official figure of 29,315.
The ONS put the figure at around 32,000, with its numbers based on where the virus is mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, including in combination with other health conditions.
945,299 people have been tested, of whom 190,584 tested positive.
On the positive side, there was a slight fall in the total number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 24 April according to the Office for National Statistics. In the seven days to 24 April, there were 21,997 deaths registered in England and Wales – 11,539 more than the five-year average, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Of all deaths registered in the UK week to 24 April, 8,237 mentioned COVID-19, which represents 37.4% of all deaths.
Read more via Sky News
