This page contains data and analysis published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from 11 to 15 May 2020. Go to our live page for the most up-to-date insights on COVID-19.


15 May 2020

Care home deaths

More than a quarter (27.3%) of deaths of care home residents in England and Wales between 2 March and 1 May 2020 involved the coronavirus (COVID-19).

An estimated 45,899 care home residents died during that period, 12,526 of which involved COVID-19.

Breaking these COVID-19 deaths down by sex, they represented 31.4% of all deaths of male care home residents and 24.5% of deaths of female care home residents.

When looking at the proportion by age group, the highest proportion of deaths involving COVID-19 was in those in the 65 to 69 years group in both male and female care home residents, accounting for 35.1% and 30.3% respectively.

The majority (72.2%) of care home resident deaths involving COVID-19 took place within care homes, but 27.5% occurred in hospital. Of all hospital deaths involving COVID-19, 14.6% were accounted for by care home residents.

In England there were higher rates of death involving COVID-19 among care home residents than non-care home residents.

The mortality rate for deaths involving COVID-19 for males (1,078.8 per 100,000 care home residents) was significantly higher than for females (607.0 per 100,000).


15 May 2020

COVID-19 as cause of death

There were 33,841 deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) in England and Wales between 1 March and 30 April 2020 (registered up to 5 May 2020). The vast majority of these (95.0%) had COVID-19 assigned as the underlying cause of death.

In 90.4% of cases, the person who died from COVID-19 had at least one pre-existing condition. The most common main pre-existing condition was dementia and Alzheimer disease, with 6,887 deaths (20.4% of all deaths involving COVID-19).

COVID-19 was by far the most frequent underlying cause of death for deaths occurring in April. Adjusting for the age structure of the population, the rate of deaths due to COVID-19 was 587.4 per 100,000 persons in England compared with 480.8 per 100,000 persons in Wales.


15 May 2020

Key workers

We have looked at the characteristics of employees who were employed in key worker occupations in 2019. There were 10.6 million (33% of the workforce) employed in these occupations. Overall, slightly more women work in these occupations (58%), and there are big differences by occupation category. Around eight in ten (81%) of those employed in education and childcare were female. At the other end of the scale, the majority of workers in transport were male (90%).

An estimated 15% of key workers had a health condition which leaves them at moderate risk from the coronavirus (COVID-19). Of those at moderate risk, a higher proportion of these had heart, blood pressure or blood circulation problems (6%), followed by chest or breathing problems, asthma, bronchitis (5%).

While many of the key workers are in London and the South East, tracking closely to general employment trends, the exact occupations differ by area. You can see the proportion of key workers in your area using our map.

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14 May 2020

Access to private gardens and public parks

One in eight households (12%) in Great Britain has no access to a private or shared garden during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, according to our analysis of Ordnance Survey (OS) map data.

This rises to more than one in five households in London (21%), easily the highest percentage of any region or country of Great Britain.

The percentage of homes without a garden is higher among ethnic minorities, with Black people in England nearly four times as likely as White people to have no outdoor space at home.

People from minority ethnic groups are less likely to have access to a private garden

Percentage of people with access to a private garden, by ethnic group, England, 2014 to 2019

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Meanwhile, areas least likely to have a private garden are most likely to live close to a public park, with 44% of Londoners living within a five-minute walk of a park (rising to 58% including playing fields). Both are the highest of any region or country in Great Britain.

Our article explains the findings and allows you to explore access to private gardens and public parks in your neighbourhood.


13 May 2020

GDP, January to March 2020

UK gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 2.0% in Quarter 1 (January to March) 2020, the largest quarterly fall since the final three months of 2008 (during the financial crisis).

This is the first quarterly GDP release that captures some of the direct effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the subsequent lockdown (which came into effect on 23 March 2020).

It shows a widespread decline across the economy in the first three months of the year, with services, production and construction down by 1.9%, 2.1% and 2.6% respectively.

There were especially sharp falls in sectors such as accommodation (negative 14.6%) and travel agents (negative 23.6%), both of which were affected by major restrictions in March.


11 May 2020

Deaths involving COVID-19 by occupation

Men and women working in social care – including care workers and home carers – had significantly higher rates of deaths involving COVID-19 compared with those of the same age and sex in the general population of England and Wales.

The rate of COVID-19 deaths among male social care workers was 23.4 deaths per 100,000 men, compared with 9.9 deaths per 100,000 for the male population. The respective rates for females were 9.6 and 5.2 deaths per 100,000 women.

Meanwhile, rates of COVID-19 deaths among male and female health workers (such as doctors and nurses) were found to be similar to the general population.

The highest rates of deaths involving COVID-19 were seen among low-skilled workers such as male security guards (45.7 deaths per 100,000 men), followed by male taxi drivers and chauffeurs (36.4 deaths per 100,000).

This analysis covers deaths involving COVID-19 among those aged 20 to 64 years in England and Wales. The analysis includes deaths registered up to 20 April 2020, and as such the findings are provisional and could change as more deaths are registered.


11 May 2020

Occupations with potential exposure to COVID-19

Using estimates of exposure to disease and physical proximity, we have looked at how likely different occupations are to be exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19), based on 2019 data. Healthcare workers are among those most likely to be exposed to the coronavirus because of physical proximity and exposure to disease in general, though this may be mitigated by the use and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE).

We also looked at the characteristics of people working in these occupations. Three in four workers (75%) in occupations requiring frequent contact with people, and exposure to disease, are women. Workers from black and minority ethnic groups are also over-represented in some occupations that require frequent contact with people, and regular exposure to disease, such as dental practitioners and medical practitioners.

Explore the data using our interactive.

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Related

  • GDP first quarterly estimate, UK

    First quarterly estimate of gross domestic product (GDP). Contains current and constant price data on the value of goods and services to indicate the economic performance of the UK.

  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by occupation, England and Wales

    Provisional analysis of deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19), by different occupational groups, among men and women aged 20 to 64 years in England and Wales.

  • Which occupations have the highest potential exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19)?

    ONS has created an estimate of exposure to generic disease, and physical proximity to others, for UK occupations based on US analysis of these factors.

  • One in eight British households has no garden

    The percentage of homes without a garden is higher among ethnic minorities, with Black people in England nearly four times as likely as White people to have no outdoor space at home.

  • Deaths involving COVID-19 in the care sector, England and Wales

    Provisional figures on deaths registered involving coronavirus (COVID-19) during the first wave (14 March to 11 September 2020), the second wave (12 September 2020 to 11 June 2021) and the third wave (12 June 2021 to 21 January 2022) of the pandemic in care home residents, in England and Wales.

  • Deaths involving COVID-19, England and Wales

    Number of deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) that occurred in each month in England and Wales, by country, age, sex and place of death.

  • Coronavirus and key workers in the UK

    Estimates of the numbers and characteristics of those who could be considered as potential “key workers” in the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19).