England and Wales see spike in deaths during summer heatwaves

A new analysis showed an occurrence of 6% higher deaths during this summer’s heatwaves in England and Wales. Between mid-June and late August, there were five periods of hot weather, and 56,303 deaths occurred during this time. And according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), this number of deaths is above the long-term average by 3271.

The “excess deaths”

Between July 10 and 25, the largest number of extra deaths or “excess deaths” occurred. The number of this extra death was 2,227, which is 10.4% above average.


These happenings coincided with the period of enduring some of the hottest temperatures ever documented in the United Kingdom. The new high temperature of 40.3C was recorded at Lincolnshire on July 19.

Extra deaths were ‘brought forward’ by hot period

However, each hot period was followed by several days when the number of deaths went below average. This seemingly implies that the heat “brought forward” the death among vulnerable and elderly people earlier than would have been otherwise.

Among people aged 70, there were a total of 5,017 deaths above average for those aged below 70. There were 1,749 deaths below average across the five heat periods.


The head of mortality analysis at ONS, Sarah Caul, said that an “increase in deaths” was recorded during the UK summer when record-breaking temperatures were endured.
She added that a “period of below average mortality” followed these spikes.

FAQs:

1. What caused the heatwave in UK in 2022?
The reason seems to be climate change.


2. Is England becoming a warm country?
Since the late 19th century, Britain is slowly getting warmer.