Covid-19 deaths remain at a low level, new figures show. That is a despite a recent surge in infections driven by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants.
There were 285 deaths registered in the week to June 24 in England and Wales where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is broadly unchanged on the previous two weeks, and well below the 1,125 deaths registered in the peak week of the Omicron BA.2 wave of infections earlier in the year.
The impact of the current surge in infections is not likely to become clear in the figures for a few more weeks, due to the time it takes for someone with the virus to become seriously ill. The latest wave is being driven by the newer variants Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, which are more transmissible than other strains and are able to evade the immune protection built up by vaccines or previous infections.
