Lockdown Gains Must Be Sustained To Prevent Even More Loss Of Life

June 10, 2020 Health, News

Responding to the latest COVID-19 mortality figures for England and Wales, published by the ONS, Dr Layla McCay, a director at the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, said:

“These figures are continuing to move in the right direction, and that is good news. What this demonstrates is that lockdown measures have had an impact – and that this impact must be sustained in order to avoid even more loss of life and to protect the NHS and care services upon which our communities rely.

“It is clear that we are at a delicate stage that needs to be managed carefully: rushing to remove lockdown restrictions before we are ready could risk us ending up in an even worse position than at the beginning of the crisis.

“Our members are clear that we need a fully operational test and trace programme, as well as a guarantee that PPE supplies will be available wherever and whenever they are needed, especially as routine care restarts.”

Key points from the data:

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 29 May 2020 (Week 22) was 9,824; this was 2,464 fewer than in Week 21, but 20.2% (1,653 deaths) higher than the five-year average.
Of the deaths registered in Week 22, 1,822 mentioned COVID-19, the lowest number of deaths involving COVID-19 in the last eight weeks; this accounts for 18.5% of all deaths and is 767 deaths fewer than in Week 21.
The proportion of all hospital deaths that involved COVID-19 increased to 55.1% in Week 22 (compared with 51.0% in Week 21) but the proportion of deaths occurring in care homes decreased (from 42.1% in Week 21 to 38.7% in Week 22).
In Week 22, the proportion of deaths occurring in care homes decreased to 25.5% while deaths involving COVID-19 as a percentage of all deaths in care homes decreased to 28.2%.
Of all deaths involving COVID-19 registered up to Week 22, 63.9% (29,227 deaths) occurred in hospital with the remainder mainly occurring in care homes (29.4% – 13,460 deaths), private homes (4.5% – 2,070 deaths) and hospices (1.3% – 612 deaths).
The number of deaths mentioning “Influenza and Pneumonia” on the death certificate (without COVID-19) decreased from 1,066 in Week 21 to 911 in Week 22 and remained below the five-year average.
The number of deaths that mentioned both “Influenza and Pneumonia” and COVID-19 on the death certificate also decreased to 700, compared with 910 deaths in Week 21.