AT least 23 people from Redditch have died from coronavirus-related conditions, new statistics revealed this week show.

Updated Office of National Statistics figures show that, as of April 17, Covid-19 had been a contributory factor in the deaths of 23 Redditch residents this year.

Any deaths that have occurred since that date are not included in the figures so the toll is likely to be higher.

The data reveals that the majority of the deaths - 19 out of 23 - have happened in hospitals, with three in care homes and one fatality at home.

The figure of 23 is the second-lowest in Worcestershire, with only Worcester (20) suffering fewer Covid-related deaths.

The areas in the county with the highest number of deaths, by comparison, are Bromsgrove (60), Wychavon (51) and Wyre Forest (46).

The first two Covid-related deaths in Redditch were recorded in the week ending March 27.

There were seven coronavirus-related deaths in the district the following week, eight for the week ending April 10 and six for the most recent week included in the data, the week ending April 17.

Unlike government-issued figures, which only include hospital deaths, the ONS data tracks Covid deaths in all establishments, including care homes, to give a truer reflection of the total.

Official NHS figures say that, as of Tuesday, 207 people in Worcestershire had died with coronavirus but, for the reasons explained above, that figure will be higher, as will the national toll of just over 20,000.

The Office of National Statistics data records weekly deaths from Covid-19, breaking them down into local authority area of where the person was from.

It intends to release the figures on a weekly basis to chart the course of the pandemic.