UK coronavirus death toll reaches 40,883 after another 286 people die
It comes after the Office for National Statistics revealed the true UK death toll has actually passed 51,000.
Another 286 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, the Department of Health has announced.
The country’s death toll now stands at 40,883 as of Tuesday, said health officials. The figures include data from across all settings, including in hospitals and care homes.
As of 9am on June 9, there have been 5,870,506 tests, with 102,930 tests on June 8. The number of people who have tested positive is 289,140.
Yesterday the UK recorded the lowest number of deaths since lockdown began after another 55 people were reported to have died. But figures are often lower on Mondays following reporting lags at the weekend due to smaller teams.
The Department of Health said it has temporarily paused reporting on the number of people tested to ensure consistent reporting, as revisions are currently being made to historical data.
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Northern Ireland’s health minister Robin Swann welcomed the third day without any new deaths with coronavirus being reported, but said he was ‘reminded of a verse that said “do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring”.’
It comes after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the true UK death toll has passed 51,000 and is significantly higher than official Government figures suggest.
The ONS says 9,824 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week ending May 29.
This is was 2,464 fewer than the previous week but 20.2% higher than the five-year average.
Of these, 1,822 mentioned ‘novel coronavirus (Covid-19)’, the lowest number of deaths involving the disease in the last eight weeks. It accounted for 18.5% of all fatalities – 767 fewer than the previous week.
The ONS say 46,421 died from the disease in England and Wales in the week up to May 29, which combined stats in Scotland and Northern Ireland brings the UK total up to 51,089. This number will have increased today as the statistics were based on figures from Monday.
Fewer than a fifth of deaths registered in England and Wales during the week ending May 29 were related to coronavirus. This is the lowest level since the week the lockdown began.
Of all deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales registered up to May 29, 64% (29,227) occurred in hospital. An additional 29% (13,460) took place in care homes, 5% (2,070) in private homes, 1% (612) in hospices, 0.4% (204) in other communal establishments, and 0.4% (175) elsewhere.
In England and Wales, there were 57,961 excess deaths between March 21 and May 29 and 45,408 of these – 78% – mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.
The ONS said there are now nearly 64,000 excess deaths from all causes. Epidemiologists say excess mortality – deaths from all causes that exceed the five-year average for the time of year – is the best way of gauging the number to have died from a disease outbreak because it is internationally comparable.
READ MORE: Lockdown ‘prevented nearly half a million deaths in the UK’
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