Data released by the Office for National Statistics reveals a huge rise in the weekly Covid-19 death toll in England and Wales, with fatalities rising for the seventh week in a row

The weekly coronavirus death toll in England and Wales rose by 45% in just seven days, new figures show.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics showed that 978 people died after contracting the virus in the week to October 23.

This is a week-on-rise of 308 from 670, and means one in ten deaths is now linked to the virus.

Fatalities increased in all regions, the figures show, with the North West recording the highest number, with 325.

The overall number of deaths, from all causes, is nearly 1,000 more than the five-year average, with 10,739 dying in that week.

Of the 978 deaths involving Covid-19, 89.4% had this recorded as the underlying cause of death, ONS said.