[ad_1]
Coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales have declined for the second week in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Of the total of 12,292 deaths recorded in England and Wales during the week ending December 11, 2,756 mentioned “novel coronavirus“on the death certificate – equivalent to 22.4%.
It’s a 79 decrease from the previous week, when weekly COVID-related deaths declined for the first time since September.
This week’s drop in deaths related to the virus is smaller than last week, when the numbers fell by 205.
The figures show that coronavirus deaths decreased in all regions of England except the Midlands, East and South East and increased in Wales.
Follow COVID updates live from the UK and around the world
The total number of deaths in both nations was 11 less than last week, but 14.3% above the five-year average, figures from the ONS show.
The most recent data covers the period when England was out of the national lockdown and London had not yet moved to Level 3 restrictions.
In Wales, pubs, restaurants and bars were banned from selling alcohol and forced to close at 6pm, while other closed entertainment venues were closed.
It comes after a new variant of COVID-19 It emerged in the UK, and scientists warned that it is 70% more infectious than the original.
While there is no indication yet that it is more lethal and will not react to vaccines, experts say it can be more easily transmitted in children, which means it could continue to spread during national closures because schools remain open.
Coronavirus symptoms can take up to 14 days to develop and even longer for those symptoms to lead to deaths, so the impact of the increase in cases as a result of the new variant may not yet be reflected in the latest mortality data. .
