London (CNN) The true death toll from the coronavirus in England and Wales up to April 17 was 54% higher than the UK government's daily figures, according to Britain's Office of National Statistics (ONS).

There were 22,300 coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales up to April 17, according to the ONS data. These were registered by April 25. By comparison, the UK government said 14,451 people died from the disease in England and Wales up to April 17.

The 54% difference is caused by multiple factors.

The government's daily updates only include deaths in hospitals. They do not include people who die in other locations, including private homes, hospices and care homes . The updates also fail to account for a lag in reporting some deaths.

The provisional number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 17 April 2020 (Week 16) was 22,351; an increase of 3,835 deaths registered compared with the previous week (Week 15) and 11,854 more than the five-year average https://t.co/A6RKJTogme pic.twitter.com/VQXlsz7EX4 — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) April 28, 2020

On Twitter the ONS said it included all instances where Covid-19 was mentioned on a death certificate, even if the disease was only suspected.

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