More than 900 Covid deaths recorded in England and Wales in first week of January

There were 922 Covid deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to 7 January, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

This was a rise of 58% from the previous week. However ,the increase is artificially high because the figures in the previous week’s release were affected by the Christmas and Boxing Day bank holidays.

Of all deaths registered in the first week of January in England and Wales, 7.5% mentioned Covid – up from 6.9% in the last week of 2021.

A total of 130 care home residents’ deaths were registered involving Covid-19 in England and Wales in the first week of the new year, up from 64 in the previous seven days. However, the rise was affected by the closure of register offices with two bank holidays in the final week of 2021.