True UK virus death toll over 50,000, statistics office says

Britain’s statistics agency says the total number of coronavirus-related deaths across the UK has reached almost 52,000 by the week ending June 5.

The updated figure from the Office for National Statistics is around 10,000 higher than the government’s daily tally, which is based on initial cause of death assessments. Those from the statistics agency are collated from death registrations, which can take a couple of weeks to be issued.

The statistics agency also said there were around 64,500 more deaths across the UK than the five-year average over the period of the pandemic. The UK recorded its first virus-related death in early March.

Excess deaths are widely considered to be the best gauge of the virus’ impact as they provide a clear guide over historical periods and include all-cause mortality.

Excess deaths in the UK have been declining over the past few weeks, along with a decline in the daily coronavirus death toll.