Number of coronavirus deaths in Devon and Cornwall continue to fall
But they are still at one of the highest levels throughout the pandemic
The number of deaths relating to coronavirus in Devon and Cornwall has fallen for the second week in a row – but they are still at one of the highest levels throughout the pandemic.
The figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which relate to the week of January 30 to February 5, but registered up to February 13, show that 92 of the 433 deaths registered in the two counties had Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate.
The 92 deaths is the fourth highest total for a single week, with only the previous two weeks, plus the week of April 11-17 in 2020 recorded higher totals.
But the numbers are starting to fall and from next week, the ONS figures should start to see the impact of the third national lockdown due to the time lag between infections and deaths.
Of the 92 deaths registered in week 5 (Jan 30-Feb 5), there were 30 deaths of people from Cornwall, 15 in Plymouth, 9 in Torbay, 9 in East Devon, 7 in Exeter, 7 in Teignbridge, 4 in North Devon, 1 in Mid Devon, 1 in South Hams and 1 in Torridge. No deaths in the Isles of Scilly or West Devon were registered.
47 of the deaths occurred in care homes, 41 in hospitals, with three at home, and one in a hospice.
The deaths were:
Four deaths in a care home and 11 in hospital of someone from Plymouth
Six deaths in a care home, two in hospital, and one at home of someone from Torbay
17 deaths in a care home, 20 in hospital, and one at home of someone from Cornwall
Five deaths in a care home and four in a hospital of someone from East Devon
Six deaths in a care home and one in a hospice of someone from Exeter
One death in a care home of someone from Mid Devon
Three deaths in a hospital and one at home of someone from North Devon
One death in a care home of someone from South Hams
Seven deaths in a care home of someone from Teignbridge
One death in a hospital of someone from Torridge
A further seven deaths from week 4 (Jan 23-29) have been added into the figures this week (one in Plymouth and East Devon, five in Cornwall), three deaths from week 3 (Jan 16-22) – (one in Plymouth, Cornwall and Teignbridge), and one death from week 1 (Jan 2-8) – in Plymouth.
Previous weeks have seen 145, 150, 78, 55, 32, 46, 48, 52, 43, 43, 37, 24, 11, 13, 15, 6, 5, 2, 0, 3, 1, 2, 0, 1, 2, 1, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 5, 1, 7, 10, 11, 15, 38, 44, 70, 85, 107, 90, 60, 16 and nine deaths registered.
In total, 1,483 deaths from coronavirus have been registered across Devon and Cornwall, with 822 in hospitals, 556 in care homes, 95 at home, three in a hospice, three in a communal establishment and four ‘elsewhere’.
Other communal establishments, as defined by the ONS, include defence bases, educational premises, prisons (including probation/bail hostel, prisons, detention centres and other detention), hotels, hostels, travel and temporary accommodation (including B&Bs, temporary shelter for homeless and holiday parks), and religious premises.
The ONS define elsewhere as all places not covered by the other definitions, such as deaths on a motorway, at the beach, climbing a mountain, walking down the street, at the cinema, at a football match, while out shopping or in someone else’s home.
Of the deaths, 448 have been registered in Cornwall, 201 in Plymouth, 186 in East Devon, 147 in Torbay, 117 in Exeter, 110 in Teignbridge, 70 in Mid Devon, 70 in North Devon, 51 in Torridge, 48 in the South Hams and 35 in West Devon, and none on the Isles of Scilly.
So far in 2021, there have been 186 deaths in Cornwall, 62 in East Devon, 62 in Plymouth, 50 in Teignbridge, 44 in Exeter, 38 in Torbay, 24 in South Hams, 22 in Mid Devon, 14 in North Devon, 10 in Torridge and 7 in West Devon.
The figures show in which local authority the deceased’s usual place of residence was. For instance, if someone may have died in Derriford Hospital but lived in West Devon, while the death may have been registered in Plymouth, their death would be recorded in the mortality statistics for the ONS figures against West Devon.
Deaths that have occurred in hospitals following a positive coronavirus test since February 6 will be recorded in next week’s figures, as long as the deceased lived within Devon and Cornwall, the death has been registered, and Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
There were 43 deaths in Devon and Cornwall’s hospitals within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test in the period between January 30 and February 5, two higher than the ONS figures.
While the two measurements do not compare exact like-for-like details, it means that at least two of the deaths in the NHS England figures were either of people from outside Devon and Cornwall, or while they had died after a positive Covid-19 test, it did not contribute to their death.