Coronavirus in Wales: Further drop in deaths

Newport during lockdown - the area has seen 160 deaths during the pandemic

Deaths involving coronavirus in Wales have dropped significantly in the most recent week's figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The figure of 57 registered deaths compares to 100 the week before.

Eight council areas, including Newport, a "hotspot" earlier in the pandemic, recorded no deaths at all.

So-called "excess deaths", which compare all registered deaths to previous years, are also now below the five-year average.

This is the first time this has been recorded since the pandemic began.

Overall in Wales, the total number of deaths fell in the week ending 12 June to 574.

That is 14 deaths, or 2.4%, lower than the five-year average for that particular week.

Of these, 9.9% - 57 deaths - involved Covid-19.

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Looking at "excess deaths" lets us see how many deaths there are for a particular time of the year and whether the pattern is out of the ordinary.

Across the pandemic, there have been 2,003 excess deaths in Wales, making up 12.1% of all deaths.

Tuesday's figures show there have now been a total of 2,370 deaths of coronavirus in Wales by 12 June.

These include all confirmed and suspected cases, in hospitals, care homes and people's homes, registered up to 20 June.

The figures also show:

• There were nine deaths in care homes - the lowest number for 10 weeks.

• Anglesey, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Ceredigion, Merthyr, Newport and Pembrokeshire recorded no deaths

• Rhondda Cynon Taff recorded 10 deaths

• There were 22 deaths registered in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area, with 17 of those in hospitals.

Of 18,541 total deaths registered by 12 June, 2,357 - or 12.7% - mentioned coronavirus on the death certificate.

In Newport, there have been 160 deaths across the pandemic, but there were none in the week to 12 June, and one the week before.

Across Aneurin Bevan health board, there have been 490 deaths involving coronavirus across the pandemic.

There were two deaths - both in care homes - in the most recent week.

The ONS figures are seen as giving a fuller picture of deaths from coronavirus than the daily "snapshot" figures from Public Health Wales, which only include confirmed cases, mostly in hospitals.

There are another 921 deaths for the same period, when deaths in homes, care homes and hospices are counted.