Less than 10 percent of people who died with Covid in the UK recorded no underlying health conditions at the time of death.
Figures published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in response to a Freedom of Information request revealed, from the beginning of 2020 to the third quarter of 2021, just 17,371 of the UK’s 175,256 had no known pre-existing health conditions when they died with the coronavirus.
Almost 80 percent (13,597) of the 17,371 deceased were reported to have been over the age of 65, with just 3,774 under the age of 65 years.
For comparison, the average number of deaths from the flu each year in the UK ranges from 10,000 to 25,000 of the UK’s population of over 67.2 million.
A study on annual flu deaths in the UK found that of the 5.5 million consultations each year relating to acute respiratory illness, an estimated 600,000 are in relation to the flu.
In 2020, hospitals in the UK were accused of inflating Covid hospitalisation numbers by counting patients who had tested positive for the virus after being admitted for other reasons.
Leaked NHS data, which covers all NHS trusts in England, showed just 44 percent of patients labelled as being hospitalised with the virus had tested positive by the time they were admitted.
But the tide may be turning in the UK. Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that England will scrap all restrictions, including mandatory isolation, masks, and Covid passports.
“From the start of Thursday next week, mandatory certification will end,” Johnson said, speaking in the House of Commons.
“From now on, the government is no longer asking people to work from home… Having looked at the data carefully, the cabinet concluded that once regulations lapse, the government will no longer mandate the wearing of facemasks anywhere.”
Johnson said the government will suggest the wearing of face masks in certain situations but will rely on the judgment of the British people, vowing to no longer criminalize those who choose not to wear masks.
