More than 1,260 Wigan people have died with Covid since the pandemic began
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Marie Curie is commemorating March 23 – two years after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first UK-wide lockdown – as the National Day of Reflection.
The charity is urging people to come together to remember the lives of those lost to Covid-19, and support the millions of people across the UK who are grieving – as figures reveal the extent of the deadly toll in Wigan.
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Hide AdFigures from the Office for National Statistics show that in Wigan 1,262 deaths involving Covid-19 had been provisionally registered up to March 12.


Of these, 1,034 were in hospitals and 152 in care homes, while 55 occurred in private homes and 19 in hospices.
There were also two deaths elsewhere.
It means deaths outside hospital settings accounted for 18 per cent of the overall toll.
ONS data is based on where Covid-19 is mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.
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Hide AdThe deadliest week of the pandemic so far came in the seven days to April 17 2020, when 68 people lost their lives in Wigan.
The deaths in the area were among 25,145 registered across the North West up to March 12, and 159,419 across England.
Claire Collins, Marie Curie's bereavement coordinator, said coming together on March 23 is a way to "reflect on our collective losses in a mindful way".
She added: "There are still millions of people living with the deep trauma of losing a loved one during the last two years and we hope everyone finds comfort and embraces the day, whether you have had a close bereavement or not."
A minute's silence will be held at midday on Wednesday, March 23 to commemorate the day, and people are being encouraged to shine a light at 8pm or display flowers in their window to show support.
Separate figures from the UK coronavirus daily dashboard reveal the rate of deaths in Wigan within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test – a different measure than that used by the ONS.