Wales had fewer excess deaths than any other part of the UK according to the latest figures. A new report by the Welsh Government's Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which is the Welsh equivalent of SAGE, looking at excess deaths across the UK has provided some interesting insights into how the pandemic has played out.
Excess deaths refers to the difference between the number of deaths registered over a set time, compared with the average number of deaths for the same time period over the previous five years. A positive number means that we are seeing more deaths than the historical average, with a negative number showing fewer deaths (i.e no excess). Excess deaths help understand the total picture during the pandemic, as they also take into account indirect impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (these could potentially include things such as fewer deaths from road accidents, or more deaths due to delayed access to healthcare).
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