What the coronavirus figures REALLY show: COVID-19 is the third most common cause of death, males are dying more, England’s death rate per capita is 50% higher than Wales and 10% of victims have NO underlying conditions
Ten per cent of patients who have died from coronavirus in England and Wales had no underlying conditions, figures today revealed.
Data compiled by the Office for National Statistics broke down the details of all the COVID-19 victims who succumbed to the illness in March.
As well as showing that 90 per cent of the victims were at risk because they had a medical issue, the report showed:
England’s death rate is 50 per cent higher than Wales’, with 68.5 deaths for every 100,000 people – compared to 44.5 in Wales;
Coronavirus was the third most common cause of death during March and was behind 7 per cent of all fatalities, behind only dementia and heart disease;
Death rates are twice as high in men compared to women, with 97.5 deaths among every 100,000 men against 46.5 for women;
Heart disease was the most common pre-existing condition among the victims, with 14 per cent of victims having the condition;
The death rate in March was lower than the five-year average – despite the last week of March being the deadliest since 2005.
