COVID-19 confirmed deaths in England (to 28 February 2022): report
Updated 28 April 2023
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COVID-19 deaths
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), formerly Public Health England (PHE), has published statistics on deaths in people with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) since 29 April 2020. In this report we present the latest data on COVID-19 mortality. Further information on the data series can be found here.
Data sources
Cases of laboratory diagnosed COVID-19 resident in England were identified from the Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS).
Fact and date of death were derived from combined sources: NHS England hospital deaths, Office for National Statistics (ONS) death registrations, UKHSA Health Protection Team direct reporting and Demographic Batch Service tracing of laboratory-confirmed cases.
Definitions
As of 1 February 2022, UKHSA has begun reporting deaths following COVID-19 re-infections. From this point, reported deaths in people with COVID-19 are considered from the first positive specimen date of the most recent episode of infection, rather than an individual’s first ever positive specimen date.
In this report deaths are defined as a death in a person with a laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 test and either:
In this report deaths are defined as a death in a person with a COVID-19 specimen and either:
- died within 60 days of the first specimen date of the most recent infection or
or
- died more than 60 days after the first specimen date of the most recent infection with COVID-19 mentioned on the death certificate
This data does not include deaths in people where COVID-19 is suspected but not confirmed by testing (SARS-CoV-2 PCR either negative or not tested).
This data does not report cause of death, and as such represents all deaths in people with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, not just those caused by COVID-19.
In this report, data is reported from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
Mortality rates are calculated using 2020 ONS population estimates data.
Age-standardised rates adjust for differences in the age structure of populations. The standard used throughout this report is the European Standard Population 2013.
Methods
Mortality rates presented for different time periods have been annualised in order to enable comparisons. This method involves adjusting the population data used to calculate rates for the time period covered, these are expressed as mortality rates per 100,000 population per year. These rates cannot be compared with rates that do not have this adjustment.
Mortality rates by region, local authority, sex, ethnic group and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) have been age-standardised to account for the different age distributions within different populations.
All figures displaying mortality rates have been calculated using a seven-day rolling average, to allow for smoothing of fluctuating data.
COVID-19 mortality rates
Within the period 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022, 12,360,977 cases of COVID-19 were detected in England.
In the same period, there have been 42,731 deaths in persons with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. This represents a crude mortality rate of 75.6 per 100,000 population. From 1 March 2021 onwards, the highest recorded number of daily deaths was 334 deaths on 1 March 2021.
Table 1. Number of laboratory-confirmed cases, deaths and crude mortality rate (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, by month*†
| Month | Cases | Deaths | Crude mortality rate (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar-21 | 142,231 | 5,254 | 9.3 (9.0 - 9.5) |
| Apr-21 | 63,844 | 1,363 | 2.4 (2.3 - 2.5) |
| May-21 | 65,044 | 545 | 1.0 (0.9 - 1.0) |
| Jun-21 | 305,078 | 499 | 0.9 (0.8 - 1.0) |
| Jul-21 | 956,521 | 1,635 | 2.9 (2.8 - 3.0) |
| Aug-21 | 802,226 | 3,131 | 5.5 (5.3 - 5.7) |
| Sep-21 | 780,484 | 3,756 | 6.6 (6.4 - 6.9) |
| Oct-21 | 1,073,747 | 4,046 | 7.2 (6.9 - 7.4) |
| Nov-21 | 1,029,712 | 4,231 | 7.5 (7.3 - 7.7) |
| Dec-21 | 2,823,965 | 4,279 | 7.6 (7.3 - 7.8) |
| Jan-22 | 3,217,603 | 8,148 | 14.4 (14.1 - 14.7) |
| Feb-22 | 1,100,522 | 5,844 | 10.3 (10.1 - 10.6) |
*Data is presented from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022. Due to continuous data quality improvements, reported number of cases and deaths may be subject to fluctuations. These numbers represent a snapshot of the number of cases and deaths at the time of report production.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 1. Number of deaths in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by date of death, from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Age and sex distribution
Since 1 March 2021, the mortality rate was highest among those aged over 80 (annualised rate of 776.9 per 100,000 population per year).
Table 2. Number of deaths and annualised mortality rate** (per 100,000 population per year) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, by age group†
| Age group | Deaths (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Mortality rate** (95% CI) (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Deaths (February 2022) | Mortality rate ** (95% CI) (February 2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <5 | 23 | 0.7 (0.5 - 1.1) | <10 | 0.4 (0.0 - 2.2) |
| 5 - 9 | <10 | 0.2 (0.1 - 0.4) | <10 | 0.0 (0.0 - 0.0) |
| 10 - 19 | 75 | 1.1 (0.9 - 1.4) | <10 | 1.0 (0.3 - 2.3) |
| 20 -29 | 208 | 2.9 (2.5 - 3.3) | 13 | 2.3 (1.2 - 4.0) |
| 30 - 39 | 578 | 7.6 (7.0 - 8.3) | 44 | 7.6 (5.5 - 10.2) |
| 40 - 49 | 1,276 | 17.9 (17.0 - 18.9) | 98 | 18.0 (14.6 - 21.9) |
| 50 - 59 | 3,056 | 40.0 (38.6 - 41.5) | 276 | 47.1 (41.7 - 53.0) |
| 60 - 69 | 5,574 | 93.2 (90.8 - 95.7) | 514 | 112.0 (102.5 - 122.1) |
| 70 - 79 | 9,747 | 202.0 (198.1 - 206.1) | 1,233 | 333.2 (314.8 - 352.3) |
| 80+ | 22,186 | 776.9 (766.7 - 787.2) | 3,660 | 1670.8 (1617.1 - 1725.8) |
Note: Numbers of deaths fewer than 10 have been excluded to minimise the risk of deductive disclosure.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
From 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022, 23,652 (annualised rate of 96.8 per 100,000 population per year) deaths have occurred in males and 19,076 (61.8 per 100,000 per year) in females. The mortality rate in both sexes in February was considerably lower than the average for the total period 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
Table 3. Number of deaths and age-adjusted annualised mortality rate ** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, by sex†
| Sex | Deaths (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Age-adjusted mortality rate** (95% CI) (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Deaths (February 2022) | Age-adjusted mortality rate** (95% CI) (February 2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 19,076 | 61.8 (60.9 - 62.7) | 2,786 | 8.9 (8.5 - 9.2) |
| Male | 23,652 | 96.8 (95.6 - 98.1) | 3,058 | 12.7 (12.3 - 13.2) |
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 2.a. Seven-day rolling average annualised mortality rates** (per 100,000 population per year) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by age group, from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 2.b. Seven-day rolling average annualised mortality rates** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by age group, February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 February to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Ethnicity
Overall, the age-adjusted annualised mortality rate from 1 March 2021 onwards was highest among those in the ‘Other’ ethnic group category (annualised rate of 185.6 per 100,000 population per year) followed by those of Black and Black British ethnic groups (annualised rate of 165.6 per 100,000 population per year).
Table 4. Number of deaths and age-adjusted annualised mortality rate* (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, by ethnicity**†
| Ethnic category | Deaths (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Age-adjusted mortality rate* (95% CI) (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Deaths (February 2022) | Age-adjusted mortality rate* (95% CI) (February 2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 34,816 | 69.7 (69.0 - 70.5) | 4,543 | 34,816 |
| Black/Black British | 1,495 | 165.6 (156.7 - 174.8) | 136 | 1,495 |
| Asian/Asian British | 2,527 | 129.9 (124.6 - 135.4) | 176 | 2,527 |
| Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups | 228 | 71.5 (61.3 - 82.6) | 18 | 228 |
| Other± | 385 | 185.6 (165.9 - 206.6) | 33 | 385 |
*Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
**Ethnic categories are based on ONS classifications
±The rates in the Other ethnic group are likely to be an overestimate due to the difference in the method of allocating ethnicity codes to the deaths data and the population data used to calculate the rates.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Note: From 6 July 2021, ethnicity data has been updated based on a new method for assigning ethnicity developed by UKHSA which has resulted in a decrease in deaths in ‘other ethnicity’ category. This month’s ethnicity data is not comparable to previous months.
Figure 3.a. Seven-day rolling average age-adjusted annualised mortality rates** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by ethnicity***±, 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022†
*Data is presented from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
***Ethnic categories are based on ONS classifications
±The rates in the Other ethnic group are likely to be an overestimate due to the difference in the method of allocating ethnicity codes to the cases data and the population data used to calculate the rates.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Note: From 6 July 2021, ethnicity data has been updated based on a new method for assigning ethnicity developed by UKHSA which has resulted in a decrease in deaths in ‘other ethnicity’ category. This month’s ethnicity data is not comparable to previous months.
Figure 3.b. Seven-day rolling average age-adjusted mortality rates** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by ethnicity***±, February 2022†
*Data is presented from 1 February to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
±The rates in the Other ethnic group are likely to be an overestimate due to the difference in the method of allocating ethnicity codes to the cases data and the population data used to calculate the rates.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Note: From 6 July 2021, ethnicity data has been updated based on a new method for assigning ethnicity developed by UKHSA which has resulted in a decrease in deaths in “other ethnicity” category. This month’s ethnicity data is not comparable to previous months.
Deprivation
Relative deprivation was assessed using quintiles of the IMD linked to residential lower super output area, with IMD 1 representing the most deprived. Overall, from 1 March 2021, the age-adjusted annualised mortality rate is highest among those living in the most deprived areas, with a gradual decrease in mortality rate seen with decreasing deprivation.
In February 2022, the age-adjusted annualised mortality rate was highest among those living in areas of IMD quintile 1, and the lowest mortality rate is seen among those in the least deprived quintile, quintile 5.
Table 5. Number of deaths and age-adjusted annualised mortality rate** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, by IMD quintile†
| IMD Quintile (1 most deprived) | Deaths (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022 | Age-adjusted mortality rate** (95% CI) (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Deaths (February 2022) | Age-adjusted mortality rate** (95% CI) (February 2022) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11,077 | 134.9 (132.4 - 137.4) | 1,302 | 16.1 (15.3 - 17.0) | |
| 2 | 9,167 | 9,167 | 94.2 (92.2 - 96.1) | 1,179 | 12.2 (11.5 - 12.9) |
| 3 | 8,096 | 8,096 | 70.4 (68.8 - 71.9) | 1,177 | 10.2 (9.6 - 10.8) |
| 4 | 7,467 | 7,467 | 60.1 (58.8 - 61.5) | 1,089 | 8.7 (8.2 - 9.2) |
| 5 | 6,528 | 6,528 | 50.6 (49.4 - 51.9) | 997 | 7.6 (7.1 - 8.1) |
| Unknown | 0 | - | 0 | - |
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 4.a. Seven-day rolling average age-adjusted annualised mortality rate** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by IMD quintile, 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 4.b. Seven-day rolling average age-adjusted annualised mortality rate** (per 100,000) population in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by IMD quintile, February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Regional breakdown
Since 1 March 2021, the annualised mortality rate was highest in the North West and North East (100.2 per 100,000 population per year), followed by Yorkshire and Humber (91.7 per 100,000 population per year) and the West Midlands (86.5 per 100,000 population per year).
The lowest mortality rate was seen in the South West (51.5 per 100,000 population per year). In February, the highest annualised mortality rate was seen in the North East (16.0 per 100,000 population per year).
Table 6. Number of deaths and age-adjusted annualised mortality rate** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, by UKHSA centre†
| UKHSA Centre | Deaths (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Age-adjusted mortality rate** (95% CI) (1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022) | Deaths (February 2022) | Age-adjusted mortality rate** (95% CI) (February 2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 4,206 | 86.0 (83.4 - 88.7) | 572 | 11.7 (10.7 - 12.7) |
| East of England | 4,509 | 66.3 (64.4 - 68.3) | 612 | 8.8 (8.1 - 9.6) |
| London | 5,078 | 83.1 (80.8 - 85.5) | 602 | 9.9 (9.1 - 10.8) |
| North East | 2,761 | 100.2 (96.5 - 104.0) | 444 | 16.0 (14.5 - 17.6) |
| North West | 7,193 | 100.2 (97.9 - 102.5) | 936 | 13.0 (12.2 - 13.9) |
| South East | 5,173 | 54.7 (53.2 - 56.2) | 837 | 8.7 (8.1 - 9.3) |
| South West | 3,389 | 51.5 (49.7 - 53.2) | 509 | 7.6 (6.9 - 8.3) |
| West Midlands | 5,052 | 86.5 (84.1 - 88.9) | 677 | 11.5 (10.7 - 12.4) |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 4,974 | 91.7 (89.2 - 94.3) | 555 | 10.2 (9.4 - 11.1) |
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 5.a. Seven-day rolling average age-adjusted annualised mortality rates** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by PHE centre, 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 5.b. Seven-day rolling average age-adjusted annualised mortality rates** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by PHE centre, February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 February 2022 to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 6.a. Age-adjusted annualised mortality rates** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by upper-tier local authority, 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2022*†
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.
Figure 6.b. Age-adjusted annualised mortality rates** (per 100,000 population) in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, by upper-tier local authority, February 2022*†
*Data is presented from 1 February to 28 February 2022.
**Rates are annualised and expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 population per year.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test or where COVID-19 is mentioned on the death certificate. Figures 6a and 6b:
- contain Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2020
- contain National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2020
Case fatality risk
Case fatality risk (CFR) describes the risk of death following a laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 test. For this report, CFR has been calculated within 60 days of an individual’s first positive specimen (from PCR, LAMP, and LFD tests) CFR is reported on data 1 March 2021 up to and including 3 January 2022.
Cases diagnosed in the last 60 days were excluded from this analysis, due to incomplete follow-up period. Deaths are excluded from the CFR calculation if they cannot be linked to laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case data.
CFR is sensitive to:
- changes in testing coverage and detection rate of COVID-19 infections (Dudel et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2020; Harman et al., 2021)
- changes in the demographics of the infected population
- changes in the effectiveness of treatment and the health system’s ability to care for severe COVID-19 cases
Table 7. Number of laboratory-confirmed cases, deaths and case fatality risk in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1 March 2021 to 3 January 2022*†
| Cases | Deaths† | Case Fatality Risk (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 March 2021 to 3 January 2022 | 8,483,487 | 27,361 | 0.3 |
| 4 December 2021 to 3 January 2022 | 3,135,655 | 6,665 | 0.2 |
- Figures differ from Table 1 based on CFR calculation inclusion criteria.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test and linked to the confirmed COVID-19 case data.
Figure 7. Number of laboratory-confirmed cases, deaths and case fatality risk in laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1 March 2021 to 3 January 2022*†
Note: The time period presented covers a period where testing coverage and testing modes have changed significantly, therefore apparent changes in estimated case fatality should be interpreted with caution. Numbers of cases and deaths are stacked by week. Cases are presented by week of specimen date. Deaths are presented by week of death.
*Data presented from 1 March 2021 to 3 January 2022, the last full week of full data available.
†Deaths within 60 days of a positive COVID-19 test and linked to the confirmed COVID-19 case data.