Patrick Christys: More people will die as a result of our response to Covid than from Covid itself

Covid is killing people. Not the virus, but our response to it. Coroners in England have taken the rare step of issuing warnings over avoidable deaths during the pandemic.

These reports only happen when coroners are so concerned about the cause of someone’s death that they feel like if changes aren’t made then another person could die.

So, let’s have a look at some of these deaths and see what change we think needs to be made…

Azra Hussain, just 41-years-old, died in secure accommodation in Birmingham on 6 May 2020. Two months before her death, she had been due to begin electroconvulsive therapy, but because of an administrative error the treatment was cancelled and was then no longer possible because of Covid restrictions. The inquest jury concluded that had she been given this treatment, she would probably have lived.

Ruth Jones, a frail old lady died in a care home after a fall in self-isolation. She needed to be monitored as she was a risk if left alone but apparently the care home wasn’t equipped to monitor someone in isolation due to Covid.

Anthony Williamson, an experienced sea kayaker who died on his 54th birthday after getting into difficulty. The coroner said he was concerned there was a reduced level of coastguard cover around the Cornish coastline owing to the pandemic. So the coastguard, a life-saving service, wasn’t able to do its job…due to Covid.

Another death highlighted was that of Sgt Paul Hills, an RAF firefighter trainer who had done two tours of Afghanistan and served this country for more than 20 years. He wasn’t allowed a face-to-face mental health appointment due to Covid…now he’s dead.

So the coroners are issuing warnings because if something doesn’t change, then people will die like this again. In that whole variety of different ways, in all the different circumstances, what was the one linking factor. The capitulation in the face of Covid, the priority of Covid over everything else.

And then we add to that the staggering number of excess deaths, only 12% of which are linked to Covid. 69,000 of them to be precise.

And then there are NHS waiting lists. Supposedly up to 12 million by 2025. That means that one in five people in England will be waiting for NHS treatment.

And the biggest cancer catastrophe ever – 740,000 potential cancer cases missed.

Do you remember months ago when people who said more people will die as a result of our response to Covid than from Covid itself? And vast swathes of the media scoffed at them. High-minded types on Twitter, the double-mask brigade, said they were being silly.

Well, we were right. More people will die as a result of our response to Covid, than from Covid itself.

Let’s do the numbers - 145,000 people have died from covid across the entire UK. 69,000 excess deaths in England and Wales, Coroners in England warning about avoidable deaths, 740,000 potential cancer cases missed, 12 million people on an NHS waiting list by 2025.

More people will die as a result of our response to Covid than from Covid itself.