Fewer Ashfield deaths registered last year – as Covid-19 no longer leading cause

It comes as Covid-19 dropped out of the top five leading causes of death across England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics figures outline.

Nationally, coronavirus accounted for 12.1 per cent and 11.5 per cent of all registered deaths in 2020 and 2021 respectively, but this dropped to just 3.9 per cent in 2022, making it the sixth-highest cause of death.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease led the way, accounting for 65,967 deaths, 11.4 per cent, up from 61,250, 10.4 per cent, in 2021.

Alzheimer’s Research UK described the figures as “a stark reminder of the terrible and far-reaching effects of dementia on our society”.

The ONS data shows 1,445 total deaths were registered in Ashfield in 2022 – down from 1,475 the year before.

In 2019, 1,298 deaths were registered, while this rose to 1,439 in 2020.

Covid-19 levels among the population of England and Wales reached record highs last year, as new variants of the virus saw the estimated number of weekly infections hit 3.9 million in early January and 4.4m at the end of March.

The fact 2022 saw a fall in Covid-19 deaths, not a rise, reflects the success of the vaccination programme, which has reduced sharply the number of infected people who go on to become seriously ill or die.

Vaccines were first rolled out across the country in early 2021, with booster doses subsequently made available to older and vulnerable groups.

Samantha Benham-Hermetz, Alzheimer’s Research UK director of policy and public affairs, said: “Our most recent survey showed two in 10 people are unaware dementia is even a cause of death, yet last year it claimed nearly 66,000 lives in England and Wales.

“Despite its devastating impact, and in contrast with other leading causes of death like heart disease or cancer, there are still no treatments available on the NHS that can slow or stop it.

“As the impact of the pandemic recedes, we must learn from the lessons of Covid-19 and speed up progress in finding new ways to treat, diagnose and prevent dementia.”

Some 292,064 male deaths were registered in England and Wales last year, compared with 285,096 female deaths.