working with @HealthFdn and @INETOxford put together comparable statistics for impact from pandemic over first wave so far, using different methods, and comparing with G7 and hardest hit in Europe...

UK & England esp at rough end of all comparisons - Why? And What can we learn? https://twitter.com/faisalislam/status/1277643514030051331

This Long Read seeks to deep dive into those numbers/patterns - and questions arising from, for now, having highest per capita deaths in G7...
Was it really inevitable? consequence of London effect? Why does Italy now have fewer excess deaths than UK? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53279391

An explanation:

UK had time advantage.

But manner in which it arrived here, seeding after half term in every town /city across nation spreads it v wide v quickly.

So quick distancing/ shutdown necc, but put off till end March.

Then virus transferred deep into care home sector

3/ UK having more excess deaths than Italy is key here.

Remember in early March lobby corrs being briefed Italy were the ones not to follow.

Also, point of UK approach was to stop the health system being overwhelmed as it had done “in Italy”.

..Well it was only really Lombardy

Take for example region around capital Rome, Lazio, population 5.9 million. Total deaths 841. Fewer than any region of England or nation of UK...

Put another way, the pandemic spread to and around the UK and England far far more than it did from Lombardy, 400 miles to Rome /4