Figures released today by the the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 8,974 deaths “from alcohol-specific causes,” an 18.6% increase compared with 2019.
That represents the highest year-on-year increase since records began being collected in 2001.
In an attempt to deflect the elephant in the living room, the ONS insisted that there are “many complex factors” to consider in explaining the deaths.
However, the Alcohol Change charity warned last month that “research consistently shows that the coronavirus pandemic has created conditions for more people to drink more heavily and more often than usual.”
(...,) Summit News
