By Tony O’Riley-
Coronavirus was not the leading cause of death in England and Wales in March for the first time since October, new official figures show.
Data from The Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows Covid-19 was the third leading cause of death in both countries that month, accounting for 9.2% of all fatalities registered in England and 6.3% in Wales.
The statistics shows that the virus was the leading cause of death each month from November to February. The leading cause of deaths was dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in England, accounting for 10.1% of all fatalities registered that month, according to the data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
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In Wales, ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of deaths, accounting for 11.8% of all fatalities.
The data shows COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in both countries that month, accounting for 9.2% of all fatalities registered in England and 6.3% in Wales.
Last week, that ONS revealed that Covid-19 was not the primary cause of death in 25% of recorded cases. It comes after a new study found that Covid-19 vaccines are working “better than we could possibly have imagined” at keeping people out of hospital with the virus.
The British government also said that the risk of hospitalisation from Covid drops significantly after vaccination, with only 32 people admitted to hospital three weeks after getting the jab in the UK.
An estimated 83.3% of people in this age group had received both jabs as of April 18, meaning they are fully vaccinated against coronavirus.
Some 78.3% of people aged 75 to 79 are estimated to have had both doses, along with 42.7% of people aged 70 to 74, 17.3% of people aged 65 to 69, and 14.0% of people aged 60 to 64.
Covid-19 case rates have fallen in nearly all regions of England except the South West where they remain broadly unchanged, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England.
In south-west England, the rate of infections rose very slightly from 13.8 per 100,000 people in the seven days to April 11 to 13.9 in the week to April 18, but was a still the lowest in the country.
In Yorkshire & the Humber, the rate of new cases stood at 45.0 per 100,000 people – the highest rate of any region, but down from 61.2 the previous week.
The East Midlands recorded the second highest rate: 28.1, down from 37.2.
The drop in infection rates makes the process of the lockdown easing justified and more fulfilling, although prophecies of doom made by government scientists and prime minister, Boris Johnson, that rates of infection will significantly rise again within months of the resumption of mixing is worrying for observing analysts.
The predictions are based on the likelihood of wide mixing over the summer months in which plenty of mixing is expected to take place. With bars now open, ad the sun out, social gatherings are on the increase and young people in particular, are likely to gather in numbers, and even hold parties indoors from time to time.
However, there are sceptics who believe, the predictions of doom are a sign that another lockdown is dubiously being planned or already foreknown, despite the opening up of society since April 12th.