Covid death toll tops 1,000 in Northumberland

It is two years since Boris Johnson ordered the first UK Covid lockdown.

Marie Curie is commemorating March 23 – two years after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first UK-wide lockdown – as the National Day of Reflection.

The charity is urging people to come together to remember the lives of those lost to Covid-19, and support the millions of people across the UK who are grieving – as figures reveal the extent of the deadly toll in Northumberland.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in Northumberland 1,007 deaths involving Covid-19 had been provisionally registered up to March 12.

Of these, 656 were in hospitals and 310 in care homes, while 33 occurred in private homes and three in hospices.

There were also three deaths in another communal establishment, and two elsewhere.

It means deaths outside hospital settings accounted for 35% of the overall toll.

The figures include deaths that occurred up to March 4 which were registered up to eight days later.

ONS data is based on where Covid-19 is mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.

The deadliest week of the pandemic so far came in the seven days to January 29 2021, when 49 people lost their lives in Northumberland.

The deaths in the area were among 8,746 registered across the North East up to March 12, and 159,419 across England.

Claire Collins, Marie Curie's bereavement coordinator, said: "There are still millions of people living with the deep trauma of losing a loved one during the last two years and we hope everyone finds comfort and embraces the day, whether you have had a close bereavement or not."

A minute's silence was help yesterday to commemorate the day, and people were encouraged to shine a light at 8pm or display flowers in their window to show support.

Separate figures from the UK coronavirus daily dashboard reveal the rate of deaths in Northumberland within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test – a different measure than that used by the ONS.

On March 16, the cumulative death rate – which covers the entire pandemic – stood at 291.8 deaths per 100,000 people in the area – compared to 251.1 across England.