The UK has surpassed 200,000 deaths involving coronavirus, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Up to the start of July, a total of 200,247 COVID deaths were registered, the ONS said on Wednesday.

The 200,000 milestone was reached on 25 June, but not revealed until today due to a delay in registration.

In the week ending 1 July, 11,828 deaths were registered nationwide, with 412 (3.48%) involving coronavirus. COVID deaths were up 65 on the previous week.

The new data comes as a new wave of the virus hits the UK, mainly driven by the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

With testing no longer free, data on cases is provided mainly through the ONS weekly infection survey, which last week showed levels at their highest since April.

In the last week of June, 2.7 million people were estimated to have COVID-19 in private households – up 18% from 2.3 million the previous week.

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Although case and death figures are far below what they were previously in the pandemic, scientists are warning that COVID is being allowed to run rampant, increasing pressure on the NHS.

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Many pregnant women and school children still unvaccinated

Meanwhile the government’s Public Accounts Committee is calling for health bosses to reduce the number of unvaccinated adults in England from three million to 2.5 million.

According to their figures, pregnant women are one of the groups with the lowest vaccination uptakes, with only 58% receiving two doses as of February 2022.

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People of black, black British and Pakistani origins were also less than half as likely to have had their booster jabs compared to those of white British origin, despite being more vulnerable.

The PAC report also warns that only 38% of schoolchildren aged 12 to 15 have received two doses, compared to 55% of 16 to 17-year-olds.

Research by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that both full and booster vaccinations reduce the risk of someone falling ill, being admitted to hospital or dying after catching the virus.

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