The number of people dying from any cause in England and Wales has dipped to more than 15% below average - while Covid-19 deaths continue to plummet, data released today shows.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that in the week ending September 4 - the most recent available - 78 people died after contracting coronavirus.
This is the lowest weekly figure since March, and the stats reveal that there were nearly 1,500 fewer overall deaths than the five-year average.
The virus accounted for 1% of deaths in that week, ONS data shows, with 52,376 death certificates now mentioning coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.