West Midlands Covid-19 deaths at lowest weekly level since lockdown began
No new care home coronavirus deaths were recorded in the Telford & Wrekin borough last week, with seven more in the Shropshire borough.
The West Midlands has recorded its lowest weekly number of coronavirus deaths since lockdown began, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics says there were 184 Covid-19 deaths across the region in the week ending May 29, marking the lowest weekly total since March 27, when 67 deaths were registered.
This made up 19 per cent of all deaths across the region over the period and is 106 fewer deaths that were registered from the virus in the previous week, when Covid-19 attributed to 22 per cent of all deaths.
It continues the steep decline of Covid-19 deaths registered in the West Midlands. The death toll peaked in the week ending April 17, when 999 coronavirus deaths were registered across the region – 39 per cent of all deaths.
In the latest figures the region was fifth in the ONS table for coronavirus deaths, with the North West having the highest number of deaths involving the virus at 282 in the week to May 29.
More than a quarter (25.6 per cent) of deaths in the North East that week involved Covid-19 – the highest proportion across all of England's regions.
Meanwhile the number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes in Shropshire increased to 130 last week.
The Shropshire Council area saw an additional seven care home deaths registered in the week up to June 5, taking the total to 88, while in Telford & Wrekin the figure stayed at 42.
It means that 38 per cent of all deaths in care homes across the two council areas were attributed to Covid-19, according to the ONS.
Care home coronavirus deaths have only been recorded since April 10, meaning the full toll is likely to be higher as Shropshire's first hospital death was on March 15.
As of Monday 176 coronavirus deaths had been recorded in Shropshire's hospitals.
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The number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire increased to 569, with an additional 17 deaths registered in the week up to June 5.
Of the care home deaths across the region, 189 were in Staffordshire and 78 in Walsall.
There were 35 deaths in Sandwell and 46 in Dudley – with no additional deaths added over the past week in either borough.
In Birmingham there has been 164 Covid-19 deaths in care homes, an increase of six in the last seven days.
Across the region 1,482 deaths occurred in care homes from all causes over the same period, meaning coronavirus was a factor in 38 per cent of all care home deaths.
The figures have been released after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the virus was "coming under control" in care homes and was "in retreat".
He cited Care Quality Commission (CQC) figures showing there has been a 79 per cent fall in care home deaths from Covid-19 since the peak in the week ending 24 April.
Overall less than a fifth of deaths registered in the week ending May 29 in England and Wales involved the coronavirus – the lowest proportion since the week lockdown was imposed.
Of 9,824 deaths registered, 1,822 involved Covid-19 – 18.5 per cent of the total that week and the lowest number of weekly coronavirus deaths for eight weeks.
However, the figures show that while numbers are falling, there have been tens of thousands of "excess" deaths compared to the average number of deaths over five years for the same period.
In the week ending May 29, there were 819 more deaths in care homes compared with the five-year average, and 30 fewer deaths in hospitals.
The overall coronavirus death toll for the UK now stands at 51,766, based on death certificates where coronavirus was mentioned and deaths of confirmed cases in hospitals.
This is more than 10,000 above the latest tally of related deaths calculated by the Department of Health & Social Care, which says 40,597 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19.
