Non-Covid excess death stats show more West Norfolk residents are dying average, hinting at collateral damage from lockdown restrictions

At least 140 more West Norfolk residents have died than average in the past 18 months - with the majority not down to Covid.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the period from June 2021 until June of this year - the latest month for which numbers are available - shows that there were 138 excess deaths in our borough within that timeframe.

Of those, 97 were not impacted by Covid in any way - meaning 70.3% were down to other causes.

In those 12 months, 41 excess deaths were linked to Covid.

The West Norfolk numbers seem to be following national trends, with October figures for England and Wales highlighting that excess deaths were higher than during the main pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

Some health experts have warned that a rise in non-Covid related excess deaths may be down to collateral damage from lockdowns and government restrictions, with many people missing out on GP and hospital appointments - and therefore potentially vital diagnoses.

In our borough, for example, 34 more people died than average in May of this year. Of those, 26 were not linked to Covid and were down to other causes.

In March, only nine of 30 excess deaths were Covid-related - and in December 2021, 40 of 44 had no connection to the virus.

There were still some months where Covid excess deaths outstripped other causes.

However, the number of non-Covid excess deaths since the start of last summer is considerably more than double those.

Despite this, health figures have been quiet in their response to the situation.

A spokesman for the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS) said: “It is really important people do not delay seeking help from the NHS if they feel unwell.

“It is vitally important that if people have serious conditions or concerns they seek help and in a serious medical emergency, such as symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, that they call 999.”

This was a response to a query which questioned a lack of alarm compared to Covid deaths, possible explanations for rising excess deaths in the borough and worries about the fall-out from lockdown restrictions.

The CSI pointed us in the direction of the Department of Health and Social Care, which the Lynn News had already contacted for comment.

A spokesperson said: "There are a wide variety of factors that may be contributing to the excess deaths reported and we are monitoring the situation carefully.

"It is common to see weekly fluctuations in excess deaths, and the data does not show an upwards trend in Norfolk in recent months.

"We’re improving outcomes for patients and our 91 community diagnostic centres and 92 surgical hubs are helping hundreds of thousands more patients get quicker access to vital tests, checks and scans, and procedures to help reduce waiting times."

West Norfolk Council’s two Health and Wellbeing Board members, Cllrs Elizabeth Nockolds and Samantha Sandell, were also contacted for comment but we received no response.

Queries directed to the Department of Health and Social Care included:

• Possible explanations as to why excess deaths are occurring in this borough and/or England as a whole.

• Whether there is any government concern regarding excess deaths, and why these are not being treated with the same urgency that Covid deaths were.

• Potential links between excess deaths and negative effects of lockdown, such as people not seeing GPs.