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8,000 more than normal people have died at home during a pandemic, figures reveal as patients avoid hospital for fear of contracting coronavirus
- There were 8,196 more deaths in the home compared to the five-year average
- Experts fear patients avoid hospital for fear of contracting Covid-19
- The BMA chief warned that people are “risking their conditions to worsen”
- Here we show you how to help people affected by Covid-19
About 8,000 more Britons have died in their homes since the start of the pandemic than normal, with 80 percent of diseases not related to Covid-19.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 8,196 more household deaths in England, Wales and Scotland compared to the five-year average for this time of year, including 6,546 non-Covid deaths.
Shock numbers have led some experts to suggest that people refuse to be treated in wards for their conditions, for fear of contracting coronavirus.
Instead of dying in the hospital, they say, they are dying at home.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul of the British Medical Association (BMA) told The Guardian: “ Referrals from GPs are not accepted unless in many cases serious medical conditions and routine investigations are not available to aid diagnosis. .
About 8,000 more Britons have died in their homes since the start of the pandemic than normal, with 80 percent of diseases not related to Covid-19 (pictured, in Hampshire)
Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, Chairman of the Board of the British Medical Association (BMA)
‘This means that many sick patients are not receiving the care they so desperately need now, and more importantly, they risk their conditions getting worse and some even die as a result. These figures underscore that the devastation caused by Covid-19 extends far beyond the immediate effects of the disease itself. ‘
The Guardian analysis shows that the number of deaths in nursing homes in England and Wales in the week to April 24 was 3.1 times higher than normal.
Deaths in private homes and in hospitals were 1.5 times higher than normal.
There were 23,583 deaths in people’s homes in the past seven weeks, compared to the five-year average of 16,794. Of the additional 6,789 deaths, one in four was attributed to the coronavirus. This leaves 5,355 excess deaths unrelated to the coronavirus.
Scottish data shows there were 3,453 deaths in homes and non-institutional settings in the seven weeks to May 3, compared with 2,046 in a typical year. However, of the remaining deaths, only 216 were related to the coronavirus. This means that there were 1,191 excess deaths.
In England and Wales, 32,633 deaths were recorded in nursing homes, more than double the number expected at this time of year. Again, only 6,815 of the remaining deaths were related to the coronavirus.
This leaves 10,148 deaths where Covid-19 was not listed on the death certificate.
While there were 597 excess deaths in Scottish nursing homes in the seven weeks through May 3, these are lower than the number of coronavirus-related deaths.
Speaking to The Guardian, Jason Oke of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Science at Oxford University suggested that “people are dying from other causes that would not have happened under normal conditions.”
He described these people as “collateral damage to the running of the bulls.”
Figures for England and Wales are based on the date of occurrence rather than the date of registration. In Scotland, they are based on the date of registration.
