The number of people who have died from Covid-19 is much higher than is being reported by the government, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The independent authority's data shows that of the number of deaths in England and Wales that occurred up to April 3, 6,235 were related to the coronavirus.

This compares to the 4,093 deaths reported by the Department of Health (DOH) for the same time period.

The difference stems from the fact the ONS data includes all deaths that are happening in hospitals and the community, such as care homes.

In comparison, the government figure only refers to those who have died in hospital who tested positive for the virus.

The ONS's figure also includes all deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Nick Stripe, head of health analysis and life events at ONS, said: "The latest comparable data for deaths involving Covid-19 with a date of death up to April 3, shows there were 6,235 deaths in England and Wales.

"When looking at data for England, this is 15% higher than the NHS numbers as they include all mentions of Covid-19 on the death certificate, including suspected Covid-19, as well as deaths in the community."

Mr Stripe also added there were 16,387 deaths registered in England and Wales during the week ending April 3, which "is the highest weekly total" since the authority started compiling data in 2005.

According to the latest figures from the DOH, of the 88,621 positive Covid-19 cases in the UK, 11,329 people have now died.

This includes at least 196 deaths in Kent.

But in a blog post from the ONS, the authority reveals that neither figure is wrong, it is just a different way of recording deaths.

Sarah Caul, head of mortality analysis at ONS, said: "The figures published on gov.uk are valuable because they are available very quickly, and give an indication of what is happening day by day.

"Their definition is also clear, so the limitations of the data can be understood. But they won’t necessarily include all deaths involving Covid-19, such as those not in a hospital.

"Numbers produced by ONS are much slower to prepare, because they have to be certified by a doctor, registered and processed.

"But once ready, they are the most accurate and complete information.

"Using the complete death certificate allows us to analyse a lot of information, such as what other health conditions contributed to the death."

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