The recent heatwave may have killed the equivalent of a “jumbo jet full” of people in a week, experts have said, as official figures showed 400 more non-Covid deaths than normal.
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 800 excess deaths were recorded in the week ending July 23, half of which were not caused by Covid.
Experts said the rise in non-Covid deaths coincided with the heatwave, where temperatures regularly rose above 86F (30C) amid the fifth warmest July on record.
Prof Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, said: “Less than half of deaths registered suggest Covid-19 as a cause.
“While the true cause of these extra deaths will need to be investigated more closely, this was the week of the heatwave across a large part of the country, with maximum temperatures reaching the 30s and minimum temperatures not dipping much below the high teens.
“We know from past experience that in such hot conditions, vulnerable people can die. This data is the first indication that this is what happened during the July heatwave. The heat may have just killed the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of people over the space of a week.”
The hot weather led the Met Office to issue its first warning for heat risk on July 18.
