England, Wales See Spike in Excess Deaths
The number of weekly excess deaths in England and Wales between Jan. 6-13 has hit its highest total in nearly two years, with 2,837 deaths above the average for the time of year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Facts
- The number of weekly excess deaths in England and Wales between Jan. 6-13 has hit its highest total in nearly two years, with 2,837 deaths above the average for the time of year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
- Over 17k people died during the week ending on Jan. 13, the most since both nations were in lockdown due to the Alpha variant of COVID in 2021. Outside of COVID-affected years, the weekly deaths are the highest since January 2015.
- While in February 2021, loss of life involving COVID accounted for 37% of all deaths, in the most recent week, the virus has only accounted for 5% of total deaths. Health experts have pointed towards a surge in flu cases in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas as a factor.
- Veena Raleigh, a senior fellow at think tank The King's Fund, has pointed toward "unmet healthcare needs" during the pandemic alongside "unprecedented pressures" on the National Health Service (NHS) as causes for the surge.
- Meanwhile, 24% of the recorded deaths in the first two weeks of 2023 were attributed to flu and pneumonia in England and Wales, with total excess deaths being 14% and 20% higher than the average during the same period.
Sources: Standard, Telegraph, Independent, Express, and WalesOnline.
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by The Guardian. Britain's excess death rate is at a disastrous high, and the issue far surpasses COVID. Dismal ambulance response times, the NHS staffing crisis, alongside the wider structural issue of social inequality in the middle of a cost-of-living disaster, are all to blame as part of Tory failures. Excess deaths are the result of a broken system pushed by an ideologically crazed government. This could've been avoided.
- Right narrative, as provided by Spectator. Although many blame the government for the excess deaths and the state of the NHS, in reality, the issue stems from COVID policies that led to long-term damage to the economy and the UK's health services. While anyone who pushed against lockdowns and masks was deemed radical, we are now seeing the results of these policies that were political rather than scientific, and the mainstream media refuses to admit its role in the disaster.
