Weekly deaths - all causes - E&W - up to week 27

Data from the ONS:



Looks like we're pretty much back to normal.
------------------------------------------
In related news, from the BBC:

Back in March we knew so little about this virus. We assumed that it was a respiratory illness, only to find out that it affects almost every organ in the body. We assumed that we would rely on invasive ventilation and ICU only to find out that early CPAP (non-invasive ventilation with oxygen) on the medical wards was more effective.

This doesn't surprise me. Several doctors started pointing out months ago that invasive ventilation made things worse. See also the pioneering work done by this chap in March and April of this year. He might have made a lucky - or desperate - guess, but so what? He did it for real.

And, by half-arsing the whole thing and dragging their heels, with the benefit of hindsight, the NHS have saved a fortune on really expensive ICU ventilators and can use the much cheaper - and better - sleep apnoea masks instead.