Charities and health professionals have consistently warned many lives were being lost because people were put off seeking help for life-threatening conditions
Credit: Justin Tallis/AFP
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Britain had one of the worst death rates in Europe for under-65s during the coronavirus pandemic, amid fears many younger people died through lack of access to healthcare.
By the week ending Dec 18, deaths in the under-65s were 7.7 per cent higher than the five-year average, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.
In contrast, deaths in the over-65s were just 7.1 per cent above the five-year average, even though older people made up around 93 per cent of coronavirus deaths.
Of 15 European countries studied by the ONS, only Bulgaria recorded a higher rate of cumulative excess mortality by December, at 12.3 per cent.
Most other countries saw deaths that were proportionally much higher in the over-65s than for younger people, in keeping with the coronavirus being a disease that is far more deadly for older people.
Poland recorded 15 per cent excess deaths in people aged over-65, but one per cent for those under 65. Similarly, Spain had 12 per cent excess deaths for older people and just four per cent for the under-65s.
Dr Annie Campbell, of the ONS health analysis and life events team, said: “While the UK may no longer have one of the highest levels of cumulative excess mortality in Europe, it does persist to have some of the highest cumulative excess mortality rates for those aged under 65 years.
“Only Bulgaria had a higher cumulative excess mortality rate for this age group by the end of 2020, with the UK and its constituent countries having excess mortality levels well above most other European countries.
“This has been a pattern observed throughout 2020 since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March, showing that the impact of the pandemic in the UK has not exclusively affected those at the oldest ages. We are working to better understand the reasons behind this trend.”
During the first wave peak in April, excess death of the under-65s rose 62.7 per cent above the five-year average.
Charities and health professionals have consistently warned that many lives were being lost because people were put off seeking help for life threatening conditions, particularly during lockdown between March and May last year.
A study by Keele, Oxford and Leeds universities showed there was a 40 per cent decrease in the number of life-saving procedures for heart attack victims between March and May, and a 50 per cent increase in cardiac arrest cases.
Researchers said they suspect the increase was because of treatment delays and patients not seeking medical attention early enough because they wanted to “protect the NHS” and were fearful of catching coronavirus in hospital.
Figures released this week show there were still 39 per cent fewer heart operations and other cardiac procedures performed in January, compared to the same time last year.
In total 4.59 million people are waiting for hospital treatment – the highest since records began in 2007.
A recent paper, published in the European Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that around three million people in the UK missed cancer diagnostics due to the lockdown.
In numbers: How Covid impacted NHS treatment in 2020
Research indicated that a one-month delay in diagnosis for cancer would lead to 25,812 life-years lost, while six months would lead to 173,540 life-years lost.
Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics, at the Open University, said: “In most countries apart from the UK and Bulgaria, deaths were proportionally much higher above average in the 65-plus group than they were for younger people.
“The difference in relative death rates by age, found here, could be because mortality directly caused by Covid-19 in younger people was relatively higher here than elsewhere in Europe, or it could be because excess deaths from non-Covid causes were relatively higher here than elsewhere, or some combination of the two.”
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