More than 200,000 people in the UK have had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic began, new figures show.
The grim milestone comes as infections and hospital admissions are once again on the rise, driven by the coronavirus subvariant Omicron BA.2 – though the number of deaths remains well below levels reached in previous waves.
A total of 200,247 deaths involving coronavirus have now been registered in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This includes all instances where Covid-19 has been mentioned on someone’s death certificate, either as a main cause of death or a contributory factor.
The 200,000 mark was reached on June 25, but has only now been confirmed due to the time it takes for deaths to be registered.
Covid-19 deaths have remained low by historic standards during each of this year’s waves, reflecting the success of vaccines in weakening the link between infection and serious illness.
Analysis by the PA news agency of ONS data shows that the number of deaths involving coronavirus occurring in the UK each week has remained mostly below 1,000 since early last year, peaking between 1,000 and 2,000 whenever infections have jumped.
By contrast, during the wave caused by the Alpha variant in January 2021, the weekly figure peaked at nearly 10,000.
The number of mentions of Covid-19 on death certificates has always been the most reliable and consistent measure of coronavirus mortality, as it not affected by factors such as reduced levels of testing, as happened in the early months of the pandemic.
It is now the only UK-wide measure of mortality.
An alternative method, based only on the number of people who died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, was discontinued recently after health authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland stopped reporting the figures.
Both authorities said changes in coronavirus testing policy earlier this year influenced their decision.
People with Covid-19 symptoms are no longer advised to test themselves regularly, while access to free tests is limited to only a small part of the population in all four nations.
This means that data based just on positive tests is not likely to reflect the true prevalence of coronavirus in the community or the real level of mortality.
Health authorities in England and Wales still report weekly figures showing the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test, however.
Around nine in 10 deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate since the start of the pandemic have coronavirus as the primary cause of death, with a minority listing the virus as a contributory factor.
The sharp slowdown in deaths over the past 18 months is illustrated by the way it took just 61 days for the cumulative total to climb from 100,000 to 150,000, but a further 474 days to go from 150,000 to 200,000.
The UK has one of the highest death tolls in Europe, reports The Guardian, higher than Spain, France and Germany.
A Parliamentary committee has called for increased efforts to vaccinate people in vulnerable groups against Covid-19 as infection rates continue to rise again. A report by the Public Accounts Committee said it wanted to reduce the number of unvaccinated adults in England from three million to 2.5 million.
Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The Department and NHS England must build on the initial successes of the vaccine programme and redouble efforts to reach people who are unvaccinated and at greater risk of becoming hospitalised or dying as a result of Covid-19.
“Despite work to date, low vaccination rates persist in many vulnerable groups and fresh approaches are needed.”
The report states that it is “not yet clear” how NHS England “will strike the right balance” between increasing vaccination rates and limited services available to do so. Analysis by UK Health Security Agency has confirmed that both full and booster vaccinations reduce the risk of someone falling ill, being admitted to hospital or dying due to Covid-19.
Pregnant women are one of the groups with a low vaccination uptake, with only 58% receiving two doses as of February 2022. The PAC report also outlines that people of black, black British and Pakistani origins were also less than half as likely to have had their boosters compared to those of white British origin, despite being more vulnerable.
It also states that only 38% of school children aged 12 to 15 have received two doses, compared to 55% of 16 to 17-year-olds. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 2.7 million people in private households in the UK are estimated to have had Covid-19 last week, up 18% from 2.3 million the previous week.
The ONS reported that this increase is likely caused by Omicron variants B4.5 and BA.5, which are strains of concern. A Government spokesperson said: “Our world-leading Covid vaccination programme has saved countless lives and continues to do so – more than four in five of those eligible having received their spring booster and we urge anyone eligible to get their jab.
“We are working hard to reach those people who are still unvaccinated against Covid, including using walk-in and mobile vaccination clinics to increase access and convenience, and providing bespoke messages from trusted voices – such as faith and community leaders – to diverse people to get the vaccine.
“NHS England has already begun preparations to ensure they are ready to deploy Covid vaccines to those eligible as part of an autumn Covid booster programme to ensure protection is maintained ahead of winter.”
