The number of additional deaths recorded each week in England and Wales has reached its highest level in nearly two years as Britain battled the second wave of the Covid pandemic.
About 17,381 deaths were reported in the seven days ending January 13, according to the Office for National Statistics, up 2,837 from the season’s average.
This is the highest number of excess deaths since 3,429 in the week leading up to 12 February 2021, when Britain saw its second wave of Covid-19 infections and vaccination only recently started. Coronavirus deaths accounted for 37 percent of all reported deaths.
But last week, Covid-19 accounted for just 5 percent of the total, meaning other factors are likely to blame for the high death toll.
Excess mortality, also known as excess mortality, is the number of deaths above the average for the same period in the previous year. The high excess mortality rate means that many more people are dying than usual.
This winter, the number has risen sharply: in the last two weeks of December, the number of deaths was 21% and 20% above average, and in the first two weeks of January – by 14% and 20%.
Health experts have suggested that a number of factors could be behind the surge, with Covid-19 playing only a minor role. Perhaps the wave of influenza in the run-up to Christmas influenced.
The latest figures show that influenza and pneumonia deaths account for almost a quarter (24 per cent) of all cases reported in England and Wales in the first two weeks of the year.
Influenza and pneumonia deaths, reported as the leading cause of death, accounted for 9 percent of registrations in the week ending January 6 and 8 percent in the last week, a level not seen before the pandemic.
Veena Raleigh, senior fellow at charity The King’s Fund, said other factors influencing the number of deaths were “unmet care needs during the pandemic” and “unprecedented pressure on NHS services.”
To halt and reverse the trend towards excess deaths, these factors “need to be urgently addressed,” she added, with immunization programs “a priority as Covid-19 continues its relentless march alongside influenza and pneumonia in recent years.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.