This marks a 46 per cent increase on the number of deaths reported in the previous week, and is the highest figure on record since 12 June. Of the 978 deaths that involved Covid-19, 874 had this recorded as the underlying cause of death (89.4 per cent), the ONS said.
The number of weekly coronavirus deaths in England and Wales has risen to its highest figure since early June, new statistics show.
Between 16 and 23 October, the number of deaths involving Covid-19 in hospitals increased by 242. For care homes, this figure rose by 47.
The number of weekly deaths in hospitals is now above the five-year average – the first time this has happened since mid-May.
In England, the total number of deaths increased from 9,833 for the previous week to 10,070 in the week ending 23 October.
The ONS said the southwest was the only English region to have fewer overall deaths compared with the five-year average.
However, the number of deaths involving Covid-19 increased in all English regions, with the northwest recording the largest rise (325 deaths).
In Wales, the number of deaths involving Covid-19 increased from 47 in the week ending 16 October, to 65 in the week ending 23 October, while the total number of deaths for the week was 33 higher than the five-year average.
Just under 63,000 deaths involving Covid-19 have now occurred in the UK.
A total of 61,257 deaths have so far been registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, according to the latest reports from the UK’s statistics agencies.
This includes 55,796 deaths in England and Wales up to 23 October (and registered up to 31 October), which were confirmed by the ONS on Tuesday.
Since these statistics were compiled, a further 1,428 deaths are known to have occurred in England, plus 67 in Scotland, 90 in Wales and 80 in Northern Ireland, according to additional data published on the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
Together, these totals mean that so far 62,922 deaths involving Covid-19 have taken place in the UK.
