Coronavirus was the leading cause of death in England and Wales during November, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that during November, when the UK went back into lockdown due to a second wave of the virus, there were 47,910 deaths registered in England, 6,241 more than the five year average. In Wales there were 3,363 deaths, 576 more than the five year average.
The ONS said Covid-19 was the leading cause of death for the first time since May with 18% of all deaths linked to the virus in England and 22% of deaths in Wales.
For deaths registered between January and November, Covid-19 was the second most common cause of death in England and Wales after dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
In line with the peak of the second wave of infections, the ONS said the mortality rate linked to Covid-19 increased for the third consecutive month in November reaching 191 deaths per 100,000 people in England and 260 deaths per 100,000 in Wales.
April remains the month with the biggest Covid deaths with London recorded the highest at 1,208 deaths per 100,000 people followed by the northwest with 743 deaths per 100,000.
August and September were the months with the lowest numbers of Covid deaths.