Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that more than 1 in 5 deaths in England and Wales were linked to the SARS-COV-2 virus.
Of the provisional figures for deaths registered up to 3rd April, 3475 mentioned COVID-19 as at least a contributory cause of death.
That was 21.2% of all deaths, compared with 539 (4.8% of all deaths) the previous week.
Latest ONS Figures
The statistics, which included every registered death in the community, showed a total of 406 deaths linked to COVID-19 up until 3rd April occurred outside of hospitals. That equated to 9.8% of all deaths, the ONS said.
Of those deaths, 217 occurred in care homes, 33 in hospices, 136 in private homes, 3 in other communal establishments, and 17 in other settings.
Nick Stripe, a statistician at the ONS said: "The latest comparable data for deaths involving COVID-19 with a date of death up to 3rd April, show there were 6235 deaths in England and Wales. When looking at data for England, this is 15% higher than the NHS numbers as they include all mentions of COVID-19 on the death certificate, including suspected COVID-19, as well as deaths in the community.
"The 16,387 deaths that were registered in England and Wales during the week ending 3rd April is the highest weekly total since we started compiling weekly deaths data in 2005."
In London, 46.6% of deaths registered up to 3rd April involved COVID-19. In the West Midlands the proportion was 22.1%.
The Government has been accused of under-reporting deaths from COVID-19 because official figures discussed at the daily briefing only include hospital cases.
Government Urged to Publish More Comprehensive Stats
The criticism has come among reports of a growing number of outbreaks in care homes.
At the daily Downing Street briefing last night, Prof Chris Whitty, the Government's chief medical adviser, revealed that 13.5% of care homes in England now have coronavirus, up from 9% a week ago.
"There have been COVID-19 outbreaks in 92 care homes in the last 24 hours," he added.
Sir David Behan, chairman of the largest care home company, HC One, told the BBC's Today programme this morning that COVID-19 cases had a "presence in 232 homes, which is about two-thirds of the total number of homes that we run".
He added that as of Monday night, "There had been 311 residents who had died as a result of, or suspected, COVID-19."
Care England has estimated that there have been nearly a thousand deaths already in care homes.
Tip of the Iceberg?
The Alzheimer's Society said that evidence from other European countries suggested that more than 40% of deaths related to coronavirus took place in care homes. "If the Government isn't counting these deaths, how can it be taking the urgent and necessary action to address them?” asked Sally Copley, the Society's director of policy. "It strikes us that these deaths from coronavirus are the iceberg, and the hospital figures just the tip."
In a letter today to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the heads of the Alzheimer’s Society, Care England, Age UK, Marie Curie, and Independent Age, asked for a comprehensive plan to support social care, describing the service as the "neglected front line" of the coronavirus pandemic.
Writing to The Times today, Prof Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, called for sufficient personal protective equipment for staff and residents, and COVID-19 testing for residents, staff, and those being discharged from hospital into care homes.
Meanwhile, the public service union, UNISON, said it was dealing with "anxious and frightened" care home workers who were short of PPE.
Dave Prentis, the union's general secretary, described the latest ONS figures on care home deaths as a "national scandal". He said: "Elderly and vulnerable residents face a death sentence because staff lack personal protective equipment."
