Five thousand extra deaths in Yorkshire during first three months of pandemic

Data released by the Office for National Statistics show that 18,198 deaths were registered across the region in March, April and May this year, 5,079 more than the same three months in 2019.

The latest figures, which do not include deaths in June, give an indication as to the true death toll in Yorkshire and the Humber as a result of Covid-19.

The latest NHS England figures released this week had the total number of coronavirus deaths at hospitals in Yorkshire at 2,802.

Today's ONS figures capture the deaths missed by lab testing, the misdiagnosed deaths and the deaths caused by the strain the virus puts on society.

They show a sharp rise in the number of deaths across the region in April, with 7,987 recorded compared with 4,351 a year earlier, a difference of 3,636. There were 1,159 more deaths in May than May 2019 and 284 extra deaths in March, the month lockdown measures were imposed.

The pattern can be seen across different parts of the region, with an extra 706 deaths in North Yorkshire, 1,453 in South Yorkshire and 2164 in West Yorkshire over the three months.

It comes as official figures suggest more than four in 10 adults in Britain feel some parts of their lives have changed for the better since the coronavirus outbreak, official figures suggest.

Of the 43 per cent who reported positive lifestyle changes, more than half (56 per cent) said they were able to spend more quality time with loved ones they live with, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Exactly half said they were enjoying a slower pace of life, while 47 per cent said they were spending less time travelling.

The outbreak has also prompted 28 per cent of adults to plan "big changes" in their lives once the nation has fully recovered.

The ONS analysed responses from 1,920 adults questioned between June 18 and 21 as part of its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey on the impact of Covid-19.