Thread by @jburnmurdoch

NEW: UK has now passed 100,000 Covid-19 deaths according to three different measures:
• Deaths within 28 days of positive test
• Deaths where C-19 mentioned on death certificate
• Excess deaths above historical average
Story @GeorgeWParker @ChrisGiles_: ft.com/675d737e-88a5-…

The inclusion of excess deaths puts to bed any idea that the towering death toll is due to people testing positive for Covid but dying primarily for other reasons.

There have been 100,000 more deaths than in a typical year, and this is despite fewer deaths from many other causes

Looking at the three measures across the year:
• Shortage of testing in spring meant "deaths within 28 days" were always an undercount
• Even death certs may have missed thousands of deaths, with spring peak in excess deaths thought to be the best metric for the overall toll

More testing in winter means the "within 28 days of a positive" and death certificate measures have converged.

Excess deaths too are very high, but are lower than the other two measures, driven in large part by fewer deaths this winter from other causes.

Whatever metric you choose, the UK now has one of the worst Covid mortality rates worldwide.

Full story again: ft.com/675d737e-88a5-…

Full update of all international excess death comparisons coming this week