Coronavirus deaths by age in England
Just over half of coronavirus-linked deaths in England have been people aged 80 and above.
Only 1% were in people aged 20-39, according to the stats from NHS England.
The new data, based on deaths announced by English hospitals as of 5pm on Thursday, April 2, suggests 1,749 (53%) out of 3,302 recorded deaths, were aged 80 or above. Meanwhile, 1,291 (39%) were 60-79 years old. A further 233 (7%) were aged 40-59, with 26 (1%) aged 20-39 and three (0.1%) aged 0-19.
The figures are provisional and do not take into account another surge in deaths today, which saw the country record 684 deaths in 24 hours – taking the total to 3,605.
But they do suggest that of those which had been recorded, nearly 99% were of people aged 40 and above. Similar data has not yet been made available in other parts of the UK.
Conformation of a coronavirus diagnosis, death notification and reporting by NHS trusts can take up to several days, meaning the latest numbers may not include all deaths that occurred on that day or on previous days.
But the stats come as concerns grow that Covid-19 is not just infecting the elderly globally.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned today that more younger people are falling severely ill after contracting the disease.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said: ‘We are seeing more and more younger people who are experiencing severe disease.
‘What we are seeing in some countries, individuals who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are in ICUs (intensive care units) and have died.
However, experts said that the majority of people who experience severe illness still tend to be older and with other health problems.
Dr Van Kerkhove continued: ’Some of those individuals had underlying conditions, but some have not.
‘So what we need to better understand is why young people are dying from this infection.’
Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s emergencies programme, said that one in six Covid-19 deaths in Korea had been people under the age of 60.
And over the past six weeks in Italy, ‘at least’ 10% to 15% of people in intensive care units (ICU) with the disease were aged under 50, he added.
Dr Ryan continued: ‘It’s not that anything has changed. It’s that we collectively have been living in a world where we have tried to convince ourselves that this disease is mild and more severe in older people.
‘But I think the evidence has been there all along… There is a spectrum of severity.’
The new data, based on deaths announced by English hospitals as of 5pm on Thursday, April 2, suggests 1,749 (53%) out of 3,302 recorded deaths, were aged 80 or above. Meanwhile, 1,291 (39%) were 60-79 years old. A further 233 (7%) were aged 40-59, with 26 (1%) aged 20-39 and three (0.1%) aged 0-19.
The figures are provisional and do not take into account another surge in deaths today, which saw the country record 684 deaths in 24 hours – taking the total to 3,605.
But they do suggest that of those which had been recorded, nearly 99% were of people aged 40 and above. Similar data has not yet been made available in other parts of the UK.
Conformation of a coronavirus diagnosis, death notification and reporting by NHS trusts can take up to several days, meaning the latest numbers may not include all deaths that occurred on that day or on previous days.
But the stats come as concerns grow that Covid-19 is not just infecting the elderly globally.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned today that more younger people are falling severely ill after contracting the disease.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said: ‘We are seeing more and more younger people who are experiencing severe disease.
‘What we are seeing in some countries, individuals who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are in ICUs (intensive care units) and have died.
However, experts said that the majority of people who experience severe illness still tend to be older and with other health problems.
Dr Van Kerkhove continued: ’Some of those individuals had underlying conditions, but some have not.
‘So what we need to better understand is why young people are dying from this infection.’
Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s emergencies programme, said that one in six Covid-19 deaths in Korea had been people under the age of 60.
And over the past six weeks in Italy, ‘at least’ 10% to 15% of people in intensive care units (ICU) with the disease were aged under 50, he added.
Dr Ryan continued: ‘It’s not that anything has changed. It’s that we collectively have been living in a world where we have tried to convince ourselves that this disease is mild and more severe in older people.
‘But I think the evidence has been there all along… There is a spectrum of severity.’