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updated 10:20 AM UTC, Dec 13, 2023

UK’s COVID-19 Death Toll Adjusted As New Methodology Comes Into Force

Unic Press UKFollowing a review by Public Health England (PHE) on COVID-19 death toll, a new methodology has come into force on how deaths in people caused by the disease should be recorded.

Following this new methodology, the total number of deaths in people with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection is reduced by 5,377, because what is being counted are deaths within 28-day of a test. In effect, as at 17:00 hrs BST, 11 August, of those tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, 41,329 [not 46,706 under the old counting regime] have died across all settings within 28 days of that test.

The new methodology: What has changed?

The PHE says the additional indicators which will be used to calculate daily death figures are:

  • the number of deaths in people with COVID-19 that occur within 28 days of a first positive laboratory-confirmed test. This is intended to provide a headline indicator of the immediate impact of recent epidemic activity. Deaths that occur more than 28 days after a positive test will not be included in this count.
  • the number of deaths that occur within 60 days of a first positive test. Deaths that occur after 60 days will also be added to this figure if COVID-19 appears on the death certificate. This will provide a more complete measure of the burden of the disease over time.

 

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