England had the highest levels of excess deaths in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic, according to analysis by the Office for National Statistics.
The ONS figures cover the first half of 2020 during which time coronavirus hit the UK, with the disease so far killing 45,961 people in the country.
Excess deaths refers to the number of deaths that is above the average total for this period in the previous five years. The latest ONS analysis states: "While England did not have the highest peak mortality, it did have the longest continuous period of excess mortality of any country compared, resulting in England having the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the period as a whole. "England saw the second highest national peak of