COVID-19 no longer leading cause of death in England

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - Data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics released on Thursday showed that coronavirus was no longer the leading cause of death in England and Wales in March, the first time in four months.

The leading cause in England was dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases, and in Wales ischaemic heart disease.

Meanwhile, the BRIT Awards will hold an in-person ceremony with a live audience of 4,000 people next month, making it the first live indoor show for more than a year.

Attendees will not be required to social distance or wear face masks, but will need a negative test in order to gain entry, and then take another test after the event.

It is part of the government’s test scheme to collect data on how best to restart live events after lockdown.

Government data released on Thursday showed that the country reported 2,729 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to more than 4.39 million.

There were also a further 18 fatalities, raising the death toll to 127,327.

Up to and including April 21, 2021, more than 33.2 million first doses of vaccine and nearly 11.2 million second doses have been administered in the country.