[1andrew1]

UK excess deaths since start of pandemic surpass 100,000, data suggest

FT model builds on official statistics to reveal jump in mortality rates since mid-March

The number of deaths in the UK accelerated at the beginning of January as the effects of December’s wave of coronavirus cases raised mortality to levels not seen since last spring, according to official figures released on Tuesday. The Office for National Statistics said that 17,751 deaths were registered across England and Wales in the week ending January 8, the highest total since the final week of April last year.

The jump in mortality rates suggests that since the pandemic began, the UK’s total excess deaths — the number above the previous five-year average — has risen to well over 100,000, according to a Financial Times model that brings official figures, which have a two-week lag, up to date. The government reported on Tuesday that another 1,610 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 — the highest daily figure since the pandemic began.

However, the figure is unlikely to be a genuine daily record because many people died at the peak of the first wave without being tested. Excess deaths, which measures the total number of fatalities compared with normal levels, is not dependent on the levels of testing and indicated more than 2,000 daily deaths in the UK last April.

https://www.ft.com/content/5f7b58fb-...9-b71d328c6700