New ONS report lays bare the terrible toll of COVID-19
15 March 2021
- A new report from the Office for National Statistics, Coronavirus: a year like no other, looks at data over the past 12 months.
- More than 140,000 people have died in the UK with COVID-19 mentioned as the underlying cause or a contributory cause on their death certificates.
- Hospitals opened significantly more critical care beds than in previous winters to treat patients who are severely ill with COVID-19.
Responding to the publication of a new report by the Office for National Statistics 'Coronavirus: a year like no other', the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:
"Today's report is a stark reminder of the terrible toll the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked on the NHS and our wider society over the past year.
"It is shocking that COVID-19 has caused more deaths in 2020 than other infectious diseases for over a century. We have now seen more than 143,000 deaths across the UK from COVID-19. Behind each tragic death will be a story of sorrow and grief.
"Today's data also lays bare the immense pressure on the NHS over the past year. In January and February this year, hospitals opened many more critical care beds than in previous winters to care for patients who were severely ill with COVID-19.
"We know these pressures are reflected across both the NHS and social care, whether delivered in a hospital, in the community or in people's homes.
"We pay tribute to the incredibly hard work of trusts and their dedicated staff in caring for patients and supporting the NHS during a year like no other."