The growing death toll from covid in the UK

It troubles me that the announcement each day of the previous day’s deaths from Covid-19 disguises the size of the cumulative figure.

The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive covid test now totals 137,417. The number of deaths with covid 19 mentioned on the death certificate now totals 160,824.

These figures compare with the suggestion at the start of the pandemic that “a good result” would be 20,000 deaths. What has happened – and is still happening – is both a tragedy and a disgrace.

The way things are going the final death toll in the UK will not be that much less than the cost of the so-called Spanish flu of 1918. That pandemic killed an estimated 228,000.