Britain will face a “prolonged period” of excess deaths due to the pandemic - but not from the virus itself, the chief medical officer for England has warned.
The government's top advisors, Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, have said that the nation faces high death rates because people stayed away from the NHS during the pandemic - or could not get treatment.
With the knock-on effects of dealing with Covid-19, they have warned that Britain faces a rising death toll from heart disease and cancer cases as thousands saw routine treatments and appointments delayed.
