The UK has suffered almost 60,000 more deaths than usual since the coronavirus pandemic struck the country in mid-March, according to official figures released on Tuesday. The Office for National Statistics said that in the week ending May 15, 14,573 deaths were registered in England and Wales – 4,385 more than average for that week and deterioration on the 3,081 excess deaths recorded in the previous week. With separate official figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland included, the total number of excess deaths, directly or indirectly caused by Covid-19 across the UK rose to 59,359 over the past nine weeks.
Nick Stripe, head of life events at the ONS, said there had been “just under 60,000 excess deaths across the UK”. The prime minister and his scientific advisers have said that they want to focus on excess mortality rates rather than the daily total announced by the Department of Health and Social Care, which stood at 36,914 in figures released on Monday.
oris Johnson said last month that the only accurate way to compare coronavirus death rates with other countries was by using excess deaths figures, although he hoped to delay any comparisons until the end of the epidemic. The deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, said excess deaths was “probably the most useful statistic “.