BRADFORD Council has urged people to keep getting vaccinated after it emerged the city has had more unexpected deaths than the national average since the start of the pandemic.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show Bradford recorded 1,434 more deaths between March 2020 and June 2022 than the five-year average would suggest.

This was 13.6 per cent more deaths than were expected over this time period – meaning the area has an excess death rate above the 11.1 per cent average across England and Wales.

Excess deaths nationally peaked in April 2020 and January 2021, which were also the months which had the highest number of deaths due to coronavirus.

In Bradford, the month with the highest excess deaths was April 2020, when they were 100.4 per cent above normal.

By contrast, August 2020 saw deaths 9.3 per cent below usual levels.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Sarah Muckle (inset) has urged Bradfordians to keep getting vaccinatedSarah Muckle (inset) has urged Bradfordians to keep getting vaccinated (Image: Newsquest)

Sarah Muckle, Bradford Council’s Director of Public Health, said: “Covid has taken a devastating toll on the country and Bradford is, sadly, no exception to that.

"My thoughts are with all the people in the district who have tragically lost loved ones to this disease.

"As we know, the impact of Covid has not been the same across the country. People from more disadvantaged areas and those with pre-existing medical conditions are more vulnerable to more severe illness from covid, and are at higher risk of dying as a result. 

"The reduction in excess deaths after 2021 was related to the success of the Covid vaccine in protecting against severe covid and deaths, even across new waves and variants.

"Unfortunately, Covid is not over: this is why we are once again urging everybody who is eligible to get your covid jab as soon as possible.

"If you are eligible for a vaccination and haven’t yet taken it up, or are called for another booster this Autumn, please get it, as this is the best thing you can do to protect yourself, those who you love and your community against severe covid infection.”

Sarah Caul, head of mortality analysis at the ONS, said excess deaths in 2022 were being driven by higher than expected numbers of deaths since March.

She added: "Across March, April and May we saw increases in deaths due to cardiac arrhythmias, predominantly among those aged 80 and above.

"Further work needs to be done to understand any link between the long-term effects of Covid-19 and increasing cardiac deaths."