extent of coronavirus deaths in Berkshire

Coronavirus-related deaths in Berkshire have now reached more than 700 according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

The data comes from deaths mentioning COVID-19 on dates to Friday, May 29 and registered by a week later - Saturday, June 6.

The local authority with the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in the county is Reading which has recorded 157.
Wokingham has had a total of 142 deaths, while West Berkshire (129), Windsor and Maidenhead (125) and Slough (104) have all had more than 100.

In Slough, there are now a total of 458 confirmed cases. The rate of infection in Slough currently stands at 458, considerably higher than the national average.

In Windsor and Maidenhead there are a total of 301 confirmed cases, with the Royal Borough having a much lower rate of infection (199.5).

In Bracknell there has been a total of 63 deaths.

The figures can be broken down further in to where the deaths took place.

Although the majority have occurred in hospitals, other places include care homes, homes, hospices and other communal establishments.

Other communal establishments include prisons, halls of residence, hotels, and sheltered accommodation, while 'elsewhere' covers deaths outside and people declared dead on arrival at hospital.

The highest number of care home deaths in the county is in Slough where there have been 85, while 81 have died in Reading.

Meanwhile, the highest number of deaths at home is in Wokingham where there have been 73 deaths.

That means 50 per cent of the 200 care homes in the area have had cases.

Overall, the number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending Friday, May 29 was 9,824 - this was 2,464 fewer than the week before but still 20 per cent (1,653 deaths) higher than the five-year average.

The number of deaths in care homes was 819 higher than the five-year average, while in hospitals the number of deaths was 30 fewer than the five-year average.