Responding to the weekly mortality stats from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the week ending 20 November 2020, Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Research Sarah Scobie said:
“The second national lockdown in England should come to an end this week but the rising death toll from this second wave brings home the reality of why the government has set out the need for continued restrictions.
“In the week up to 20 November, one in five deaths were attributed to Covid-19 while the number of deaths registered overall reached their highest total since May. We are also now seeing more deaths than what would be expected at this time of year week on week.
“Hospitals will be bearing the brunt of this pressure, with 35.5% of deaths in hospital Covid-related. Yet for some time now, we have seen the numbers of people dying at home well above the five-year average. More people dying at home will be having an as of yet untold impact on families and communities especially if they are not receiving the support they need while wider health services are stretched.”
Notes to editors
- The Office for National Statistics weekly mortality statistics are available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending20november2020
- The Nuffield Trust is an independent health think tank. We aim to improve the quality of health care in the UK by providing evidence-based research and policy analysis and informing and generating debate.
- For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Simon Keen on 07805 217935 or simon.keen@nuffieldtrust.org.uk