BREAKING NEWS! England Had More Than 100,000 Excess Deaths Due To Cardiovascular Issues Since COVID-19 Started!
Cardiovascular Disease - England - Excess Deaths Jun 22, 2023 10 months, 5 days, 5 hours, 37 minutes ago
England In The Midst Of A Cardiovascular Disease Emergency!
A shocking report from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) reveals that almost 100,000 excess deaths related to cardiovascular disease have occurred in England since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis, based on official data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), paints a grim picture of the impact of the pandemic on heart health in the country.
According to the BHF, an average of 500 additional deaths per week involving
cardiovascular disease have been recorded since the pandemic began. The causes behind this surge in deaths are multifaceted, with factors such as COVID-19 itself, overwhelming pressure on the National Health Service (NHS), disrupted healthcare services, changing patient behavior, and deteriorating population health all contributing to the alarming figures.
It should be noted that SARS-CoV-2 infections as well as the COVID-19 vaccines are also risk factors for cardiovascular issues especially myocarditis, strokes and heart failures.
The report highlights the record-high number of patients waiting for time-sensitive cardiac care, which reached nearly 390,000 in England by the end of April. It also reveals that average ambulance response times for heart attacks and strokes have consistently exceeded 30 minutes since the beginning of 2022. These delays in receiving critical care have had devastating consequences.
Between March 2020 and May 2023, the analysis identified a staggering 96,540 excess deaths involving cardiovascular disease, surpassing the numbers of any other disease group. The impact of COVID-19 on heart health was most pronounced in the first year of the pandemic, accounting for over 50% of the excess deaths during that period. While there was a significant drop in cardiovascular deaths in the second year, they rose again by 13,000 in the third year.
Perhaps most concerning is that in the third year of the pandemic, the number of excess deaths involving cardiovascular disease surpassed the number of deaths where cardiovascular disease was mentioned, but COVID-19 was the underlying cause, by approximately 19,400 deaths.
The BHF has issued a dire warning, urging the UK government to take immediate action to address the cardiovascular disease crisis. Dr Charmaine Griffiths, the chief executive of the BHF, expressed deep concern for the families who have lost loved ones due to cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the urgent need for change to reverse the rising death rates from heart attacks and strokes.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, associate medical director at the BHF and consultant cardiologist, stressed that COVID-19 alone can no longer explain the significant number of excess deaths related to cardiovascular disease. She cited the extreme and unrelenting pressure on the NHS, resulting in long waits for heart care, as a major contributing factor. Delays in receiving essential treatments increase the risk of avoidable hospital admissions, disability from heart failure, and premature death.
Responding to the report, a government spokesperson highlighted ongoing efforts to address cardio
vascular disease, including cutting waiting lists, improving ambulance response times, increasing staff numbers, and promoting healthy lifestyles. The spokesperson also mentioned a Major Conditions Strategy aimed at tackling cardiovascular disease, strokes, and diabetes.
Wes Streeting, Labour's shadow health secretary, attributed the tragic findings to years of Conservative understaffing and failure to provide adequate care and disease prevention in the community. Streeting emphasized that the next Labour government's mission would be to reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke by a quarter within a decade by investing in NHS staff training and implementing necessary reforms.
The gravity of the situation has prompted health experts to describe the current state of heart care in England as an emergency. The BHF insists on the prioritization of NHS heart care, renewed efforts to prevent cardiovascular disease, and increased research for innovative treatments and cures.
Thailand Medical News strongly recommends that the many British medical and health ‘experts’ who are often spending their time on platforms like twitter, facebook or in interviews with the mainstream media maybe spend more time trying to find solutions to the current crisis in their home country first rather than trying to extol their greatness elsewhere! (It is disgusting to see doctors and cardiologists tweeting away like 10 to 20 times a day when they can spend their time attending to patients in need!)
For the latest on the
Cardiovascular Disease Crisis in England and elsewhere, keep on logging to Thailand Medical News.
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