The number of people dying from coronavirus in England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level in 19 weeks, official figures show.
Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificates of 193 fatalities registered in the week ending July 31, according to the latest report from the Office for National Statistics.
It marks the lowest number of deaths linked to the virus since the week ending March 20, four days before lockdown, when the ONS reported 103 deaths. Deaths have now been at pre-lockdown levels for four weeks in a row.
Around a thousand people were dying from Covid-19 each day at the height of the UK’s crisis in mid-April and the official death toll now stands at 46,595.
But the Government’s death tally only includes victims who had a test confirming they had the virus, which differs from the ONS’ calculations which include all deaths where the virus was a suspected cause.
The ONS says there have been 51,779 deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales up to July 31, while official figures show there have been 4,208 in Scotland and 855 in Northern Ireland.
Together, these figures suggest there have so far been 56,842 deaths registered UK-wide with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate.
Today’s report also found that nearly 700 more people than average died in their homes in the last week of July, amid concerns Britons are still reluctant to use the NHS.
There were a total of 2,915 deaths registered in private homes in England and Wales – 676 higher than the five-year average.
Experts fear people are still hesitant to use healthcare either because they are afraid of catching the virus in hospitals and GP surgeries, or they don’t want to be a burden on the health service.
The number of people dying from coronavirus in England and Wales every week has dropped to its lowest level in 19 weeks. Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificates of 193 fatalities registered in the week ending July 31 – compared to 103 in the week ending March 20
Nearly 700 more people than average died in their homes in the last week of July, amid concerns Britons are still reluctant to use the NHS. Deaths in hospitals and care homes, however, are below the five-year average
There were 600 fewer deaths than would be expected normally at this time of year in England and Wales’ hospitals, the report showed.
In early March the NHS told hospitals to scrap as many operations as possible and turf out patients on their wards to make way for an influx of Covid-19 patients.
The move was successful and hospitals were not overwhelmed by the effects of the virus, but it appears to have led to a plummet in hospital deaths and rise in the number of people passing at home.
Overall, the number of deaths from all causes in all settings was 1 per cent below the five-year average. This is the seventh consecutive week that deaths have been below expected levels.
There were 8,946 deaths registered in England and Wales in the latest reporting period, which the ONS says is 90 fewer than it would expect.
Coronavirus is likely to have brought forward some deaths of older and vulnerable people which could prompt a period of below-average deaths, according to statisticians at the Government-run agency.
The number of deaths involving Covid decreased for the 15th consecutive week, and the amount of fatalities from all causes also remained below the five-year average for the seventh week
Broken down, five out of nine regions in England recorded deaths below the five-year average in the most recent count. The most dramatic was in London, where fatalities were 7.8 per cent lower than the normal level and in the East Midlands, where they were 5.3 per cent below average
Broken down, five out of nine regions in England recorded deaths below the five-year average in the most recent count.
The most dramatic was in London, where fatalities were 7.8 per cent lower than the normal level and in the East Midlands, where they were 5.3 per cent below average.
Yorkshire and the Humber (4.2 per cent below), the West Midlands (4 per cent below) and the East of England (3.2 per cent below) all suffered fewer deaths.
The four regions where deaths were above normal were in the South East (8.1 per cent above), the North East (4.1 per cent), the North West (3.2 per cent) and the South West (1.2 per cent).
It comes as a separate ONS report found the number of people employed fell by another 114,000 last month as coronavirus hammered the jobs market.
Some 730,000 fewer people are now on the payroll of companies than in March before the country went into lockdown to combat the killer disease.
Meanwhile, the claimant count – which includes some people who are in work – increased again in July 2020 to reach 2.7million.
In the three months to June, the number in work decreased by 220,000 – the largest quarterly decrease since 2009. And the total hours worked slumped by a fifth over the quarter to the lowest level since 1994.
However, the full impact of the lockdown has so far been masked by the government’s massive support schemes. The latest figures today showed that 9.6million jobs have been furloughed, with the Treasury paying out £33.8billion in subisidies.
Many people appear to have chosen to stay economically ‘inactive’ rather than hunt for work – meaning they remain outside the headline unemployment figures.
ONS economist Jonathan Athow said: ‘The labour market continues recent trends, with a fall in employment and significantly reduced hours of work as many people are furloughed.
‘Figures from our main survey show there has been a rise in people without a job and not looking for one, though wanting to work.
‘In addition, there are still a large number of people who say they are working no hours and getting zero pay.
‘The falls in employment are greatest among the youngest and oldest workers, along with those in lower-skilled jobs.
‘Vacancies numbers began to recover in July, especially in small businesses and sectors such as hospitality, but demand for workers remains depressed.’
The ONS said that around 7.5million people were temporarily away from work in June this year, most of them on the Government’s furlough scheme.
Around three million of these had been away for three months or more.
Some 300,000 people in the UK were away from work because of the pandemic but getting no pay last month. However, that figure had been over half a million in April and May.
Redundancies were up by 27,000 quarter on quarter to 134,000, in another sign of what is to come.
The claimant count – which includes people receiving in-work benefits – increased by 94,400 to 2.7million last month. It is up 117 per cent, or 1.4 million, since March.
Total weekly hours worked in the UK decreased by a record 191.3million, or 18.4 per cent, in the quarter to June compared to the previous three months.
Some 730,000 fewer people are now on the payroll than in March before the country went into lockdown to combat the killer disease
The latest ONS figures showed the average number of hours worked per week has stayed flat overall – although there was a slight bump for the self-employed
Job vacancies showed slight signs of recovery in July – but are still far lower than during the credit crunch
It was the largest quarterly decrease since estimates began in 1971, with total hours hitting the lowest level since 1994.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said of the latest figures: ‘Today’s labour market stats make it clear that our unprecedented support measures, including the furlough and self-employed support schemes, are working to safeguard millions of jobs and livelihoods that could otherwise have been lost.
‘I’ve always been clear that we can’t protect every job, but through our Plan For Jobs we have a clear plan to protect, support and create jobs to ensure that nobody is left without hope.’
Fears are mounting of a ‘bonfire of jobs’ amid warnings a third of firms are planning to lay off staff this autumn.
Many of the cuts are set to come from hospitality businesses such as hotels, restaurants and cafes, as well as shops that were already on the brink before the pandemic.
The Bank of England predicted last week that unemployment will rise by a million by the end of the year.
Labour has been demanding the government ditches plans to scrap the furlough scheme entirely from October, forcing employers to take on the full costs of staff wages again.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: ‘As the Job Retention Scheme unwinds, we expect unemployment to rise quickly in the fourth quarter. That could see unemployment average over 6 per cent this year compared to only 3.9 per cent at present.
‘Government needs to step in and help those who are likely to lose their job retrain for new openings in different sectors. It is an opportunity to upskill a large section of the UK labour market, providing better prospects for the future.’
Meanwhile, figures released this week are due to confirm that the UK has formally entered recession – with a second quarter of GDP contracting.
The Bank of England’s latest forecast says the economy will shrink by 9.5 per cent this year, making it the worst downturn in a century.