Covid deaths hit lowest level for six months as experts call for FASTER end to lockdown

CORONAVIRUS deaths have plummeted to the lowest levels seen in six months, new data has revealed.

It comes as experts have called for a faster end to lockdown restrictions that are still in place across the country.

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Ons

The graph above shows how deaths cause by Covid have plummeted. The light blue represents deaths where the disease was a contributing factor and the dark blue shows deaths due to the disease[/caption]

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) states that a total of 362 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending April 16 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.

This is the lowest number since the week ending October 2.

At this point England had not yet been put into a tier structure and people were still adhering to the rule of six – the tier structure came into force on October 14 as infections started to rise quicker in certain areas.

At present people are allowed to go to the pub outside, go the the gym and visit non-essential shops.

The next set of restrictions is set to be lifted on May 17.

But some experts have said that restrictions could be loosened further and data from the ONS suggests that deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales have fallen 97 per cent since the peak of the second wave of the virus.

Some age groups have recorded drops as high as 98 per cent or 99 per cent, as the combined impact of the lockdown and the vaccine rollout continues to drive down the number of infections and hospital admissions.

Professor Angus Dalgleish, consultant oncologist, who was one of the signatories of a letter calling for the Government to end coronavirus restrictions said there’s no reason for the government to wait until June 21 to lift the remaining rules.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain this week he said that restrictions should be lifted right away.

He said: “In my own professional capacity, we have people who’ve struggled and carried on with symptoms of cancer, too worried to come in to the hospital to get treatment, and now it’s progressed further and their outlook is even worse.

“The fear of dying from a virus of less than one per cent, when they have got conditions which have got a far high percentage, some cases 100 per cent chance of killing them is so out of proportion and it’s so frustrating.

He added: “We’ve got tens of thousands of cancer patients who should have been diagnosed and treated, with a much better outcome.”

King’s College London’s Professor Tim Spector, who is also the lead scientist on the ZOE Symptom Tracker app also last week said that restrictions could be lifted in areas where infections were low.

He told The Sun: “We are just a month away from further easing.

“Personally, I would like to see restrictions in care homes, where residents have been fully vaccinated, lifted as soon as possible to stop further suffering for those who haven’t been able to see their families for more than a year.

“Also, the Government could be looking at easing restrictions in parts of the country that have low infection rates like the South West and South East, as in these places there is limited risk right now.”