Covid is no longer the leading cause of death in England and Wales

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Coronavirus is no longer the leading cause of death in England and Wales for the first time since October, according to official statistics which strengthen the argument for a quicker easing of lockdown.

Office for National Statistics data shows Covid was only the third biggest killer in March, accounting for 4,387 out of total 48,551 deaths (9 per cent). 

It had been the leading cause of death for the past four months after the emergence of the highly-infectious Kent variant last autumn. Covid deaths have fallen even further this month.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia was the biggest killer in England and Wales in March, with 4,915 deaths recorded (10.1 per cent), followed by heart disease and strokes which accounted for 4904 deaths (also 10.1 per cent).

The actual number Covid fatalities last month will be significantly lower because the ONS says about a quarter of them were in people who died ‘with’ the virus, rather than ‘from’ it. Recording methods mean anyone who had suspected Covid on their death certificate is classed as a virus victim, even if it was not the leading cause. 

The findings may put more pressure on Boris Johnson to release the country from lockdown quicker, with the next relaxation not due for almost another month. 

Mr Johnson has promised to stick to ‘data, not dates’ when it comes to easing curbs but has so far refused to move quicker despite vanishingly Covid low deaths and fewer than 2,000 virus patients being treated by the NHS.  

Meanwhile, an interactive map breaking down Covid deaths by postcode shows 4,187 out of 7,200 neighborhoods recorded no virus fatalities during the month of March. This was compared to 1,303 in February. No area suffered more than 10 coronavirus deaths last month. 

Overall the East Midlands was the English region with the highest Covid victims at 103.8 per 100,000, followed by the West Midlands (103.8), while the South West continued to have the lowest Covid death rate at 45.7.  

The ONS aid that in total there were 656 more deaths from all causes in England in March than average in a non-pandemic year, while there were 87 fewer fatalities in Wales compared to the five-year average. 

It comes after other data showed Britain is no longer one of the 20 worst-hit countries for excess deaths during the coronavirus pandemic, figures show. 

The UK has suffered 121,000 more deaths than expected since March last year — a rate of 183 excess fatalities per 100,000 people, according to analysis of official figures by the Economist, putting it at number 21 behind Italy (197). 

Excess deaths are calculated by taking fatalities from all causes since the pandemic first struck and comparing them with a historical average from recent years. 

It is the first time that Britain has not had one of the worst excess death rates since the Covid crisis took off, after turning the tide on the virus thanks to a hugely successful vaccination programme and winter lockdown. 

Overall, the UK has still been one of the hardest hit nations in the world, suffering more than 127,000 Covid deaths in total. Only a handful of countries have more deaths both overall and per population size. 

Peru, which is in the midst of battling a wave of the Brazilian coronavirus variant, has the highest rate of excess deaths in the world at 412 per 100,000. Rounding out the top five are Bulgaria (338), Mexico (321), Russia (313) and Lithuania (301).

Fourteen other countries — including a number of EU member states, South Africa, and Ecuador — are recording rates of more than 200 excess deaths per 100,00. The US ranks at number 23, according to the analysis, with a rate just shy of Britain’s at 182 per 100,000. 

The excess fatality rate is one of the best ways to compare the pandemic’s impact on countries because it looks at more than just the official Covid death tolls. It includes people who died without the confirmation of a test, and those who passed from other causes as a result of lockdowns and their knock-on effects on hospital care.  

Excess deaths in the UK have been falling since the vaccine drive launched and the country went into lockdown over the winter. Deaths from all causes in England and Wales have been lower than average in the past five weeks, which has helped drive the rate down faster. 

On top of a brutal four-month lockdown over winter, Britain’s hugely successful vaccine rollout has helped it finally turn the tide on the Covid pandemic. 

More than 33million people have been given at least one dose of vaccine and over 10million have received both injections. 

Meanwhile, ministers will rush through covid passports in time for the start of holidays on May 17 with Greece ready to welcome vaccinated British tourists immediately while Spain and Portugal will throw open their borders from June quarantine potentially without quarantine on return, it was revealed today.

The European Union’s ban on visitors is not expected to apply to the UK because of its world-leading jab programme that has seen more than 33million get one dose and 10million of those receive both doses already.

Spanish Tourism Secretary, Fernando Valdés, said today his country is ‘ready’ for UK holidaymakers to travel to Spain and ‘restart holidays’, adding: ‘We are desperate to welcome you this summer. We’ve been having constant conversations with UK authorities’.

Mr Valdes confirmed the plan was for British holidaymakers to arrive from June, adding that a travel corridor between the two countries is firmly on the table with covid passports ‘easing’ the return of ‘safe’ travel.

He said: ‘I believe that certificates is going to help us. Since the beginning of the pandemic we have been trying to put in place different means to help safe tourism. It is true we have passed through some waves of this pandemic, this virus, but now I think we are ready because we do have vaccinations. We have been having constant conversations with UK authorities, these certificates are going to ease travel and help tourism from this summer on’.

The EU’s plans, code named ‘gettogether’ in Brussels, should allow vaccinated travellers to travel freely and avoid tests and quarantine, bringing hope to millions desperate to go abroad on holiday or to see family this summer for the first time in more than a year.

Officials from the EU’s 27 member states held their first meeting this week to discuss the plans but are already said to have decided that vaccination rates will be the key metric when deciding who can visit the bloc.

Insiders say Britain will ‘certainly’ be among the first to be allowed in through the vaccine passport scheme, with June touted as a start date. The country’s case was helped further yesterday when it fell out of the 20 worst-hit countries for excess deaths during the coronavirus pandemic, for the first time.

In tandem with EU countries opening up for all vaccinated British travellers in around six weeks’ time, UK travel industry sources claim they have been told Covid passports are expected to be brought in from next month as Michael Gove was sent to Israel to study their ‘green pass’ app as a potential model. Paper options will also be available for people without smart phones, according to NHSX, the digital arm of the health service developing it.

Greece has already dropped its quarantine rules for travellers from more than 30 nations if they have been vaccinated or tested negative for Covid-19 from May 15 – two days before Brits can travel again. More than 20 other countries, including Spain, Croatia, Turkey, Portugal and Cyprus, have suggested that they may ask arrivals for vaccination proof.

A Government source said the Covid passport scheme would be in place next month to help people who want to travel to countries that are requiring proof of vaccination – but the source insisted that the key factor for Britons will be the rules on quarantine when returning to the UK.

‘You’ve got countries saying we will welcome you. But it depends what the precautions on return are. We will have that green amber red system. It is about what you face when you come back to the UK…. Can you isolate for 10 days?’, the insider said.

The source suggested that holidaymakers will not know what countries fall into what ‘traffic light’ category until around a week before May 17.

The criteria for assessing countries are set to include whether there are variants of concern, how good their genomic scanning system is, vaccination levels, and overall infection levels.

‘That will all become clear much nearer the time,’ one source said. ‘India has just gone off… You’re going to book a holiday in Spain in June? Well, good luck, but just make sure you are insured.’

Ministers are believed to be looking at whether islands can be treated separately from the mainland in some countries. Madeira was previously restricted when it had low cases, as Portugal was suffering high infection rates. Greece is also said to be trying to make individual islands Covid-free to help with restoring tourism.