According to the UK Office of National Statistics, the COVID-19 death toll in England and Wales up until April 17 was 54% higher than the government’s daily figures showed. According to ONS data, there were 22,351 COVID-19 attributed deaths up until April 17, whereas the UK government reported that 14,451 died from the disease up until the same date.
The massive difference was caused by the fact that the government’s totals only include deaths in hospitals, disregarding those who die in locations such as private homes, hospices, and care homes. The updates also did not account for a lag in reporting some deaths. The ONS reported that, in its total death toll calculations, they included all instances where COVID-19 was mentioned on a death certificate even if it was not confirmed to be the cause of death.
Read More: Coronavirus death toll 54% higher in England and Wales than daily stats showed
