UK may face 'prolonged period' of excess deaths following pandemic. Here's why

Britain will face a “prolonged period” of excess deaths after operations were cancelled and people avoided the NHS during the pandemic, Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance said, Telegraph reported.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England and Chief Scientific Adviser made the comments in a report on the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. An introduction to the report said that it is not a “definitive narrative” of the pandemic to date, but the first comprehensive run-through of events and implications.

It comes after the start of the UK Covid-19 inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, which will begin public hearings next year examining the Government response to the pandemic.

Read more: Elon Musk confirms Kanye West’s twitter account suspended after this post

Discussing measures put in place to respond to the surge in Covid patients the report said, “Shifting to remote consultations, discouraging unnecessary health setting presentations and asking that those with specific symptoms avoid healthcare settings unless necessary has been an effective way to reduce potential transmission risks and additional burden during a time of significant pressure."

“However, this must be balanced with a risk that health-seeking behaviours were adjusted to such a degree that there was significant unmet need, with resulting impacts on mortality and morbidity," it added.

“Undoubtedly some people who would (and could) have come forward did not because of a sense of altruism or perceived risk of being in hospital,” it further said.

“The combined effect of this will likely lead to a prolonged period of non-COVID excess mortality and morbidity after the worst period of the pandemic is over,” it asserted.

The report also praised the “extraordinary speed” at which Covid vaccines were delivered but warned, “There is a danger this falsely reassures some policymakers that a vaccine can be produced at this speed for the next pandemic.”