(Bloomberg) --
The number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in England and Wales rose 46% to a four-month high in the week ending Oct. 23, showing the acceleration of the disease before the government's decision to impose a partial lockdown.
Fatalities where the disease was mentioned on the death certificate totaled 978 in the period, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday. That's the highest since June and up from 670 the previous week.
The total number of deaths registered was 10% above the five-year average -- the highest excess mortality rate since May. Covid deaths accounted for 9.1% of all fatalities in England and Wales during the week.
Virus infections have been surging throughout the autumn, prompting U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to order a new partial lockdown from later this week. He told lawmakers Monday that the number of deaths could be twice as high as the first wave in the spring without urgent action.
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