The UK recorded a record number of alcohol-related deaths amid the coronavirus pandemic last year.
England and Wales recorded 5,460 alcohol-related deaths in the first three quarters of 2020, an increase of 16.4% over the same period in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Alcohol-related deaths from January to March increased slightly compared to previous years, but skyrocketed from April to September amid the spread of coronavirus and blocks to mitigate it.
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION RISEN DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, ESPECIALLY ‘HEAVY DRINKS’ AMONG WOMEN
“The data shows that in the first three quarters of 2020, specific alcohol deaths in England and Wales reached the highest level since the beginning of our data series, with April through September, during and after the first block, seeing higher rates compared to the same period in previous years, “said Ben Humberstone, deputy director of Health Analysis and Life Events at ONS, this week.
“The reasons for this are complex and it will be some time before the impact that the pandemic has had on specific alcohol deaths is fully understood.”
In the United States, alcohol sales increased 54% at the beginning of the pandemic, when the blockages began to take effect, according to an April study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
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Not only do people seem to be drinking more to deal with the stress of blockages, but alcohol also suppresses people’s immune systems, which can lead to more serious cases of COVID-19.
“The misuse of alcohol activates the immune system, causing inflammation, and interferes with the body’s immune response to viral and bacterial infections,” wrote the director of the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
“Ultimately, impaired immune system function and an increased susceptibility to respiratory diseases can contribute to more serious COVID-19 and a higher risk of mortality.”