Coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales 41% higher than announced
5121 Min Read
Coronavirus-related deaths were 41% higher in England and Wales than the numbers provided by Government, which referred to hospitals only. The new figures were released in a report published by the Office for National Statistics report, take into account deaths outside of hospitals.
The report states that 13,121 deaths involving COVID-19 have occurred in England and Wales up to 10 April, which is 41% higher than the 9,288 people who died in UK hospitals during the same period reported by the Department of Health. This confirms recent speculations that the daily tallies provided by the authorities were not painting the full picture by omitting those perishing in other institutions, particularly the homes for the elderly, which had been particularly hit by the virus.
Online commentators described these numbers with a range of disappointing adjectives, ranging from “sad” to “shocking”.
The deaths occurring outside hospitals happened mostly in homes for the elderly, but also included those passing away in hospices, private homes and other communal institutions.
The Opposition Labour Party described the figures published by the ONS as awful and urged Government to publish daily figures of COVID-19 deaths outside hospital, including in care homes, so the true scale of the problem is clear.
Liz Kendall, social care shadow minister insisted that “this is essential to tackling the spread of the virus, ensuing social care has the resources it needs and getting vital PPE and testing to care workers on the frontline.”
