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The full impact of #Coronavirus in #Birmingham #Solihull #Dudley #sandwell #Walsall #Wolverhampton is laid bare today after I looked through @ONS data to investigate how many âexcess deathsâ there were in April - thatâs the number of people who died above the norm. THREAD
2. What I found is that 4,290 people died in those six areas of #WestMids in just four weeks - thatâs 2,500 or so MORE than is normal for a typical April. Every death above the ânormâ is called an excess death. These people would not, ordinarily, have died - but for #Covid19.
3. The number of #ExcessDeaths then should match up, near enough, to deaths due to #COVID19 - but sadly, shockingly, they donât. Thereâs a shortfall of 744 - thatâs 744 people who died in April who normally would not, but whose deaths are NOT due to #COVID19
4. In @BhamCityCouncil area the number of non-Covid #ExcessDeaths is v high. Last April, 2019, 667 people died in #Birmingham (who normally live here - an important side note). In the four weeks of April 2020 I looked at, the number who died rocketed to 1,840. Thatâs 1,173 extra
5. Those #ExcessDeaths then should line up, thereabouts, with the number of people whose death certificates mention #Covid19, right? But they don't -nowhere near. The number of registered deaths in @BhamCityCouncil area in that period that mention #Covid19 was 809.
6. That's a big gap. That means 364 'extra' people died in @BhamCityCouncil area in April whose deaths have NOT been directly attributed to #covid19 - so what have they died from?
7. Either this is proof that the death toll from #coronavirus is higher than officially registered so far - that these people died from #Covid19 but other causes were put on their death certificate.
8. Or it means the impact of #COVID19 extends far beyond the direct 'deaths from virus'. The impact of lockdown, the closure of services and support, delays in treatments and people's unwillingness to get medical help may have been more profound, esp in deprived areas.
9. It's not just #Birmingham - in @SolihullCouncil area there were 99 non-covid excess deaths; in @sandwellcouncil there were 64; in #dudley there were 57; in @WalsallCouncil there were 74; in @WolvesCouncil 86. Read the investigation so far here https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/revealed-744-excess-deaths-birmingham-18238063
10. I spoke to @DrJV75 @BhamCityCouncil - he confirmed an investigation is under way to look at this, in collaboration with the deaths register office, "to explore this and understand what is going on." #ExcessDeaths
