LONDON: Coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales are falling fastest among those aged 80 and over thanks to the vaccine rollout in the UK, statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed.
There were 1, 622 deaths for those over 80 years old in the week to February 19, down 69 per cent from 5, 300 four weeks earlier, Xinhua news agency quoted the ONS as saying on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths among those aged 70 to 79 dropped 65 per cent over the same period, while the number of deaths in the 0 to 69 age group fell by 55 per cent.
According to the ONS, these discrepancies between age groups suggest the vaccine program has been an important factor in preventing coronavirus mortality.
The latest ONS data also showed that there were 3, 017 deaths in the most recent week.
Deaths among the over-70s have accounted for 83 per cent of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales.
The ONS figures are based on mentions of Covid-19 on death certificates.
The UK's overall coronavirus death toll currently stands at 123, 530, the fifth largest in the world after the US, Brazil, Mexico and India.
The total caseload has increased to 4, 200, 700, also the fifth highest globally after the US, India, Brazil and Russia.
More than 20.2 million people in the UK have been given the first jab of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.