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Coronavirus death rate rises in England for first time since pandemic peak

 (Independent)
(Independent)

The death rate for coronavirus patients in England has increased for the first time since the peak of the pandemic, new figures show.

The age-standardised mortality rate due to Covid-19 was 12.6 per 100,000 people in September, up from 7.2 the month before, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This is the first such increase since April, the ONS said.

The figure is still significantly lower than the peak of the pandemic, when it was 623.2 deaths per 100,000 people, the data showed.

Coronavirus did not feature in the 10 leading causes of death for people in England or Wales throughout September.

In England, Covid-19 was the 19th most common cause of death, and in Wales it was 24th.

The ONS said: "In September 2020, the number of deaths and mortality rate due to Covid-19 remained significantly below levels seen in March 2020 - the first month a Covid-19 death was registered in England and Wales.

"However, the mortality rate due to Covid-19 was significantly higher in England in September 2020 compared with the previous month, August 2020.

"This is the first increase in the mortality rate for deaths due to Covid-19 from one month to the next since April 2020."

Of the 39,827 deaths registered in September in England, 1.7 per cent (690) involved coronavirus, and in Wales the figure was 1.3 per cent of the 2,610 deaths (35).

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