Over 30,000 extra heart disease fatalities occurred since start of COVID-19 pandemic, says report

More than 30,000 extra heart disease fatalities have occurred since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite ambulance delays and expanding treatment waiting lists, an organisation has warned. Since the start of the pandemic, the British Heart Foundation's (BHF) analysis indicated there had been an average of 230 more heart disease fatalities per week than usual.

The BHF said that the sharp increase in excess heart disease mortality was being caused by severe service disruptions to the heart care system in a study issued on Thursday.

The average ambulance time for suspected heart attacks in England jumped to 48 minutes in September, exceeding the target of 18 minutes, according to the report. This increased from August's 42 minutes and 44 seconds. Due to delays in transferring patients to A&E, ambulances have also been forced to wait outside hospitals.




Ambulances responded to Category 2 calls in London on average in 40 minutes and 35 seconds, which is less time than in other locations but still much too long. Since the start of the pandemic, the backlog of patients needing urgent cardiac treatment has grown by over 50%, reaching almost 350,000.

Phil Moore, 50, of the Maidstone area, experienced a heart attack in a supermarket parking lot but had to wait for an ambulance for around 40 minutes while losing consciousness.

FAQs:

1. What is British Heart Foundation?
   The British Heart Foundation is a non-profit that supports cardiovascular research in the UK and provides funding for studies on heart and circulation conditions as well as risk factors.
2. What cardiac condition is fatal?
   The majority of sudden cardiac deaths are caused by coronary artery disease.