OXFORDSHIRE'S death toll during the last year of the Covid-19 pandemic was hundreds higher than during previous years, latest figures reveal.

That is according to Public Health England data that compares the number of deaths registered during the last year with how many were predicted based on previous mortality rates.

The so-called 'excess deaths' are considered a much better measure of the overall impact of Covid-19 than simply looking at mortality directly linked to the virus.

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This is because they capture deaths that may have been indirectly caused by the crisis, and are not affected by changes in the level of testing.

The county saw 6,355 deaths from any cause registered between March 21 last year – just days before the Prime Minister announced the UK's first lockdown – and March 19 this year.

That was 774 more than the 5,581 predicted based on the previous five years.

It means that there were 13.9 per cent more deaths than expected – although this was below the England average of 20 per cent..

Over the same period, there were 1,061 deaths in Oxfordshire with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate.

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Oxordshire County Council, which publishes a weekly round-up of cases and deaths in the area, did not comment on the 'excess deaths' reported.

However, a spokesperson for the county authority said: "Many people in Oxfordshire, the nation and the world have been bereaved as a result of the Covid-19 crisis over this past year.

"We continue to offer our condolences to them all."

Nationally, more than 100,000 excess deaths were recorded, while there were 129,000 with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate.

Dave Finch, senior fellow at charity the Health Foundation, said the two figures differed because Covid-19 is mentioned on death certificates even if it is not the leading cause of death.

Demographic experts at Oxford's Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, who produced similar research for the months March and November, revealed that life expectancy was cut for men and women by -1.3 and -1.0 years respectively.

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Their findings confirmed that the magnitude of these losses in life expectancy is 'unprecedented'.

Leverhulme expert José Manuel Aburto said: "In 2020, life expectancy for both men and women reduced by over a year wiping out gains made on life expectancy in the past decade.

"Men experienced greater losses in life expectancy, and experienced higher death rates than women."