Week 12 figures for E&W to the 26th March are now released and show us entirely back into the 'normal' death levels for this time of year. I'll make this the last weekly update on this subject as we are now 12 months from when we 1st saw any excess deaths. The actual number of deaths is just over 10k for the week and about 500 below the 5YA figure.
For the 12 months (53 weeks) we saw 650,019 deaths for the year, the 5YA is 538,653 giving us an excess death figure of 111,366 (this is E&W only). That is an increase in deaths for that period of over 20%. There will be fluctuations on the year on year basis but we have not seen an increase of that % since WWII. People will use figures to get across whatever point they want, (this is only the same as the 90s in % excess deaths, or we are facing the worst crisis in our lifetime) but the reality is that we have had something that we have not faced in our lifetime and we are starting to get it under control.
We can also look at the mistakes made early on in the UK and point the finger, these issues will need to be addressed eventually but lessons do appear to have been learned in releasing restrictions this time for balance. Also the situation on the continent shows how fragile the position is and any wrong move can result in an increase in transmission which will have to be monitored going forward. The UK got one decision very much right and that is vaccines and the ramped up roll out, it really was a hail mary pass because we had stacked it at Christmas but it worked and continues to be good news.
With 3M deaths worldwide in 12 months (and I suspect that figure is understated due to recording of deaths and causes worldwide) this is the worst peacetime death toll we have faced since the Spanish Flu which killed an estimated 1% (a very debated figure) of the global population in 3 years. We are nowhere near that figure compared to our global population now and then but we have to consider medical advances since that point and the restrictions we have in place that have mitigated the death toll.
I do think we can be positive looking forward with the vaccination programme in place but I don't think we will ever return to a 2019 'normal'. This has advanced workplace thinking, communications and the way we shop as three items alone much more rapidly than was occurring for good or bad. The high street and office space rentals will see a major shift in usage going forward and I can't see that being reversed.
It's been a shit year, but we are moving out of this in the right direction. Please get vaccinated and be sensible in how we get back to normal, whatever that is. And I'll be looking forward to fighting for a space at the bar in the Vine or queuing in the fanzone for a weak pint of piss in August.
For the 12 months (53 weeks) we saw 650,019 deaths for the year, the 5YA is 538,653 giving us an excess death figure of 111,366 (this is E&W only). That is an increase in deaths for that period of over 20%. There will be fluctuations on the year on year basis but we have not seen an increase of that % since WWII. People will use figures to get across whatever point they want, (this is only the same as the 90s in % excess deaths, or we are facing the worst crisis in our lifetime) but the reality is that we have had something that we have not faced in our lifetime and we are starting to get it under control.
We can also look at the mistakes made early on in the UK and point the finger, these issues will need to be addressed eventually but lessons do appear to have been learned in releasing restrictions this time for balance. Also the situation on the continent shows how fragile the position is and any wrong move can result in an increase in transmission which will have to be monitored going forward. The UK got one decision very much right and that is vaccines and the ramped up roll out, it really was a hail mary pass because we had stacked it at Christmas but it worked and continues to be good news.
With 3M deaths worldwide in 12 months (and I suspect that figure is understated due to recording of deaths and causes worldwide) this is the worst peacetime death toll we have faced since the Spanish Flu which killed an estimated 1% (a very debated figure) of the global population in 3 years. We are nowhere near that figure compared to our global population now and then but we have to consider medical advances since that point and the restrictions we have in place that have mitigated the death toll.
I do think we can be positive looking forward with the vaccination programme in place but I don't think we will ever return to a 2019 'normal'. This has advanced workplace thinking, communications and the way we shop as three items alone much more rapidly than was occurring for good or bad. The high street and office space rentals will see a major shift in usage going forward and I can't see that being reversed.
It's been a shit year, but we are moving out of this in the right direction. Please get vaccinated and be sensible in how we get back to normal, whatever that is. And I'll be looking forward to fighting for a space at the bar in the Vine or queuing in the fanzone for a weak pint of piss in August.