Originally Posted by
KARFA
Indeed there is a lot of reporting on this at the moment and as you say it is not because of covid - other conditions exist despite some thinking otherwise.
I hate to say it, but this is exactly the point that was made when some were advocating restrictions and lockdowns at the drop of a hat over the last 2.5 years. Restrictions and lockdowns were never consequence free, but there was a reluctance to even accept on the pro side that any negative consequences or any cost benefit analysis should be done (and by cost I do not mean money), or the effect of constant messaging to stay away from the NHS in order to protect it. Unfortunately anyone who raised this point was quickly painted as some far right selfish uncaring conspiracy theorist who must be silenced as they were clearly wanted to "let the bodies pile high".
The direct cause for the 2022 excess deaths in the UK through to mid-July (i.e. before the heatwave) was the ongoing emergency healthcare crisis, and not lockdowns.
The average wait for an ambulance to arrive in England after a heart attack or stroke is now
59 minutes (July 2022), with 10% waiting more than 2 hours (compared to a target of 18 minutes). The waiting list for treatment is now 6.73 million people.
There were lots of good points made during the lockdowns about the costs - lost education, social consequences, lower economic growth etc - but I don't remember any being made that without a lockdown we would have better healthcare. Planned operations were not just cancelled in mass because of lockdowns - they were only cancelled for times and locations where healthcare capacity was not available (especially ICU beds which might be needed for post operative care) regardless of if there was a lockdown or not. My personal opinion is the people driving this current lockdown discussion (the last lockdown being over 1.5 years ago) are more interested in stoking a culture war than fixing the issues and root causes.