Effects Of Lockdown Could Be More Fatal Than COVID-19 In UK - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2022) The effects of lockdowns in the United Kingdom could be currently causing more excess deaths than COVID-19, the Telegraph reported, citing the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The National Health Service of the United Kingdom (NHS) had to cancel or postpone many appointments and treatments for conditions such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease due to the majority of resources being allocated toward tackling the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the report said. This led to serious problems in disease prevention that the country's department of health is yet to find a solution to, the newspaper noted.

The ONS has recorded about 10,000 more excess deaths from non-COVID-related conditions since the beginning of June, which exceeds the five-year average of about 1,089 a week, the Telegraph said. The number of deaths from COVID-19 was three times lower, amounting to 2,811.

According to the Telegraph, the UK Department of Health admitted it had asked the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to investigate the figures.

The findings suggested that the majority of deaths were linked to preventable heart and stroke conditions.

"We're deeply concerned by the initial findings that excess deaths in recent months seem to be being driven by cardiovascular disease... Without significant help for the NHS from the Government now, this situation can only get worse," Charmaine Griffiths, the British Heart Foundation chief executive, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Currently many patients have to wait for over 12 hours to receive emergency care. The NHS is also experiencing ambulance delays and is lacking opportunity to identify risk factors for heart and stroke diseases, the report said.

British media have been reporting recently that the NHS has been critically understaffed and underfunded; doctors' strike could take place in the near future.