After a brief period when post-Covid after-effects were identified as the main culprit for the large rise in excess non-Covid deaths in 2022, that theory now seems to have fallen out of favour. Is that because it dawned on people that if the virus is to blame, then by the same logic vaccine after-effects become implicated as well?
Neither vaccine nor virus has made it into the latest explanations for the rise in heart and stroke deaths. The British Heart Foundation has released analysis laying the blame squarely on the reduced access to healthcare during the pandemic and the consequent backlogs and delays in the system. This is from BBC News:
Extreme disruption to NHS services has been driving a sharp spike in heart disease deaths since the start of the pandemic, a charity has warned.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said ambulance delays, inaccessible care and waits for surgery are linked to 30,000 excess cardiac deaths in England. It has called for a new strategy to reduce “unacceptable” waiting times.
The government has said it is investing another £500m to ease pressure on ambulances and boost hospital capacity.
The BHF said its analysis suggests 395,000 people in England could be on a waiting list for a heart test or procedure by April 2023 based on current trends, up from 224,000 before the start of the Covid pandemic.
