Weekly Covid deaths in England and Wales are four times higher than this time last year, new figures show.

There were 571 deaths in England and Wales where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate in the week ending August 20, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

This is four times higher than the 139 coronavirus deaths registered in the week ending August 21 2020, although figures appear to have levelled off.

It is a fall of just one death from the previous week, and equates to around one in 18 of all registered deaths over the seven days.

Possible reason for rise in deaths linked to Covid

A reason for the increase in deaths could be that last August society was not fully opened up.

Restrictions remained in place across a range of sectors and several areas were still in local lockdowns.

Some 10,013 deaths were registered in England and Wales – 359 fewer than the previous week but still 10.2% above the five-year average.

A total of 157,648 deaths have occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said.

This includes 42,855 care home residents in England and Wales who have had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic began.

Some 50 care home resident deaths involving Covid-19 were registered in the latest week.

The ONS figures cover deaths of care home residents in all settings, not just in care homes.