It’s good that this data has been published, but the Office for National Statistics (ONS) foolishly or inadvertently (certain inadequately) favoured proprietary Microsoft formats instead of open standards. Here are the data sets in a free format:

1. Deaths involving COVID-19 decreased in the UK
2. The proportion of deaths involving COVID-19
3. Mortality rates due to COVID-19
4. Deaths by age
5. Pre-existing health conditions
6. And obesity as factor
7. Excess deaths
8. Private homes death location
9. COVID-19 and flu deaths
10. Evidence that average age of death is lower for COVID-19 than flu and pneumonia

And here is the graph plotted based on this new data:

More people reported the rising cost of living and the NHS as important issues facing the UK than the COVID-19 pandemic. Proportion of all adults in Great Britain reporting important issues facing the UK today, 26 October to 6 November 2022:

Issue: (followed by % concerned)
The cost of living 93%
The NHS 82%
The economy 79%
Climate change and the environment? 66%
Housing? 53%
Crime 49%
International conflict 47%
Education? 43%
Immigration? 43%
EU Exit 41%
Employment 31%
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic 29%
Other  5%

IT IS hard to find mortality rates (pre-COVID-19) for the whole of the UK. The closest thing to it is this FOIA/FOI request or this month’s data file, which shows:

The number on the right is total deaths per week (2022).

Looking at the FOIA, here’s what it says: “Using the Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional, as at week 46 (13th November 2020) 529,928 registered deaths in England and Wales.”

For the year prior: “In 2019, there were 530,841 deaths registered in England and Wales.”

Screenshot below included, as the page will vanish one day:

So far, in the first 43 weeks of 2022, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland combined there have been 536,196 deaths (I’ve put together the numbers).

We’re seeing about 13,000 deaths per week, so expect 40,000 more in the 3 weeks that follow, i.e. about 575,000 deaths.

In the above FOIA, ONS does not give the complete figures for the whole of the UK (those are hard to find, maybe by intention), but using this weekly update we get for England and Wales:

471,064. With 9 more weeks ahead (for the year to finish). 3 more weeks from now it’ll be about 502,000 compared to 529,928 at the same period in 2020.

Extrapolate a little and find that in 2022 we’re not doing a lot better (than in 2020) in terms of preventing deaths.

I quit Twitter at the start of the year, but…

Usually I get a notification each day. Now… nothing in days:

People leaving so far this month:

In the past 28 days:

Those aren’t people who become inactive. They’re usually those who delete their account or get banned.

Description:

Covid deaths down 90% in 2022

https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing—9-november-2022

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/press-briefings

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

9,400 covid linked deaths last week

Almost 90% less than in February of this year

(February 2022, 75,000 a week, globally)

We have come a long way, and this is definitely cause for optimism.

But we continue to call on all governments, communities and individuals to remain vigilant

Almost 10,000 deaths a week is 10,000 too many for a disease that can be prevented and treated

WHO continues to urge caution, and we continue to urge everyone to be fully vaccinated – including getting your next dose if it’s due.

https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19/information/transmission-protective-measures

Get all the recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Keep a safe distance from others, especially in closed spaces
When indoors, open windows if possible
Wear a mask if you’re or those around you are at high risk of severe illness
Keep hands clean
Cover coughs and sneezes
Stay home when feeling unwel

Maria Van Kerkhove

substantial underestimate of the true circulation of the virus

still a pandemic, and it’s still circulating quite rampantly around the world
China, moves towards reality

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/983898?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=127834AR&impID=4860881&faf=1

Shortening quarantine times, close contacts, inbound travellers

Seven days down to 5

Stop trying to identify “secondary” contacts

Looking incremental

National Health Commission (NHC)

Optimising and adjusting prevention and control measures

Not laying flat

10,535 new domestically transmitted cases for Thursday

ONS release, 2nd November 2022

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwales/census2021unroundeddata

On Census Day, 21 March 2021, the size of the usual resident population in England and Wales was 59,597,542

56,490,048 in England and 3,107,494 in Wales

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice-november-2022

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice/november-2022

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice/november-2022

So

Five and a half more people registered with a GP than the total population

We also know there are millions in England not registered with a GP

Professor Norman Fenton

https://twitter.com/profnfenton/status/1591155275272261632/photo/1

Curious that this awful news was published exactly on memorial day.

Work/labour crisis based on ONS (many people in working age are unable to work for health reasons; many more than usual die, too).

Just over a day ago ONS issued this report. It shows a health crisis. Tragic that ONS uses proprietary Microsoft formats as the sole option in some cases. Here is the net increase in people out of work due to sickness (those are not very old people). To quote: “More people are out of the labour market because of long-term sickness since the pandemic began, but long COVID is not the main factor” (so what is it?)

Mar-17 0 (baseline)
Apr-17 -12243
May-17 3062
Jun-17 -9687
Jul-17 15880
Aug-17 31964
Sep-17 63498
Oct-17 41252
Nov-17 -8983
Dec-17 5493
Jan-18 -4207
Feb-18 -7468
Mar-18 -14159
Apr-18 -5663
May-18 13248
Jun-18 51386
Jul-18 58023
Aug-18 40517
Sep-18 8515
Oct-18 -8724
Nov-18 476
Dec-18 15675
Jan-19 14694
Feb-19 -12721
Mar-19 10836
Apr-19 -20433
May-19 25155
Jun-19 40168
Jul-19 56703
Aug-19 77710
Sep-19 62523
Oct-19 80378
Nov-19 73738
Dec-19 83506
Jan-20 128347
Feb-20 120961
Mar-20 136072
Apr-20 157124
May-20 135137
Jun-20 131716
Jul-20 156974
Aug-20 185190
Sep-20 228936
Oct-20 226929
Nov-20 203011
Dec-20 241629
Jan-21 212563
Feb-21 188448
Mar-21 216830
Apr-21 205674
May-21 221870
Jun-21 190969
Jul-21 230382
Aug-21 270572
Sep-21 295908
Oct-21 303054
Nov-21 348557
Dec-21 335703
Jan-22 344846
Feb-22 358585
Mar-22 323858
Apr-22 346058
May-22 329616
Jun-22 394814
Jul-22 472972
Aug-22 498642

What has happened since then? It must have worsened a lot.

Seeing that all the data is in Microsoft formats (shame on ONS for outsourcing a lot to Microsoft, rewarding Microsoft for crimes), I’ve decided to convert it to ODF, as follows:

• ONS on antibodies
• ONS on death totals
• ONS on health
• Survey
• COVID data
• long-term sickness