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The UK now has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in Europe and the second-highest in the world.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a total of 32,375 deaths involving Covid-19 have now been registered across the UK, surpassing Italy’s total of 29,079.
Only the US with 69,925 has reported more deaths linked with coronavirus.
The latest figures:
- The ONS reports 29,710 deaths in England and Wales up to May 2
- National Records of Scotland reports 2,272 in Scotland up to April 26
- Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency reports 393 in Northern Ireland up to April 29.
In each case, the figures are based on all mentions of Covid-19 on a death certificate, including suspected Covid-19.
On Tuesday, the head of health analysis at the ONS cautioned about making international comparisons, describing it as “incredibly difficult to do”.
In a Twitter thread, Nick Stripe highlighted that death registrations data is the “fastest, most frequent and most in depth” method of reporting deaths but that different countries report this data at different speeds, with the UK being the quickest.
He added: “So please exercise extreme caution with international comparisons We can sadly see rising numbers of deaths in the UK. Comparable international data is not yet available.”
Across Europe, including in the UK, official statistics have left out thousands of people who likely died from the coronavirus. It will likely be some time before the true scale of the pandemic is fully known.
The ONS figures reveal 29,710 deaths in England and Wales, 2,272 in Scotland up to April 26 and 393 in Northern Ireland up to April 29.