8,000 died in British nursing homes in 2 months

A woman wears a protective mask as she walks past the Bank of England, in London, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday that people could return to work if they could not work from home. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

LONDON — More than 8,000 people died with the coronavirus in British nursing homes since the first recorded death from March 2 to May 1.

The U.K.’s Office for National Statistics said in the two-month period there were 8,312 recorded deaths in care homes in England and Wales that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate. The figure doesn’t include deaths in Scotland or Northern Ireland, which would add several hundred to the total.

In all, there were 35,044 deaths involving the coronavirus in England and Wales to May 1.

The figure is higher than the official government toll, which stood Monday at 32,065 because it includes cases in which COVID-19 was suspected but not confirmed by a test.

The number of deaths among people with the virus, both in hospitals and elsewhere, is starting to fall.

Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the statistics office, said the total number of weekly deaths is declining but remains well above average for the time of year.