COVID-19: Coronavirus-related deaths fall for the second week in a row in England and Wales
There were 79 fewer COVID-related deaths across both nations in the week ending 11 December.
Tuesday 22 December 2020 11:35, UK
Coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales have fallen for the second week in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Of the 12,292 total deaths registered in England and Wales for the week ending 11 December, 2,756 mentioned "novel coronavirus" on the death certificate - equivalent to 22.4%.
It is a decrease of 79 on the previous week, when weekly COVID-related deaths fell for the first time since September.
This week's drop in virus-related deaths is smaller than last week's - when numbers fell by 205.
The figures show that deaths involving coronavirus fell in every region of England apart from the Midlands, East and South East, and they increased in Wales.
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The total number of deaths across both nations was 11 fewer than last week, but 14.3% above the five-year average, the ONS figures show.
The most recent data covers the period when England was out of national lockdown and London had not yet moved into Tier 3 restrictions.
In Wales, pubs, restaurants and bars were banned from selling alcohol and forced to close at 6pm, while other indoor entertainment venues were shut.
It comes after a new variant of COVID-19 emerged in the UK, with scientists warning it is up to 70% more infectious than the original one.
While there is no suggestion yet it is more deadly and won't react to vaccines, experts claim it may be transmitted easier in children, which means it could continue to spread during national lockdowns - because schools remain open.
It can take up to 14 days for coronavirus symptoms to develop and even longer for those symptoms to result in deaths - so the impact of increased cases as a result of the new variant may not yet be reflected in the latest data.