Pandemic led to 27 per cent more deaths last winter

EXCESS winter deaths during the second coronavirus wave in England and Wales were 27 per cent higher than the last bad flu year, latest Office for National Statistics show.

New analysis by the ONS shows there were 63,000 excess winter deaths in 2020-21, compared to 49,410 in 2017-18.

Last winter saw the highest excess since the winter of 1967-68, when extra deaths peaked above 70,000.

The winter was particularly bad three years ago after the flu jab was mismatched against dominant strains coupled with the Beast from the East storm bringing sub-zero temperatures.

This year, the flu season is also predicted to be worse than usual because normal levels of surveillance were not carried out as labs turned their attention to coronavirus.

There are also fears that a winter of social distancing and mask wearing has damaged the immune response to flu.

In the winter before the pandemic, there was little flu, with 10,320 excess winter deaths recorded, meaning deaths last winter were six times higher.

In the winter of 2020-21, Covid-19 was the leading cause of excess winter mortality, accounting for 84 per cent in England and 82.9 per cent in Wales of all excess winter deaths.

In the same period, most excess winter deaths were in hospitals in England (36,500) and Wales (2,100), with 54.7 per cent and 39.1 per cent more deaths in the winter than the non-winter months in England and Wales respectively.

The figures show that for the 2020 to 2021 winter period in England, daily deaths peaked on January 19, which was slightly later than in previous winters. The five-year average shows an increase in deaths normally occurs towards the startof January. In Wales, daily deaths peaked on January 11, 2021.

The number of excess winter deaths is a measure of the rise in mortality during December to March compared with non-winter months before August to November and following April to July.