The UK has recorded a record number of deaths related to alcohol amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In the first three quarters of 2020, England and Wales had 5,460 deaths related to alcohol abuse, 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 they soared from April to September amid the spread of coronavirus and blockages it intended.
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION LOCKED UP IN CORONAVIRUS PANDEMY, ESPECIALLY ‘HEAVY BEVERAGE’ IN WOMEN
“Data show that alcohol – specific deaths in England and Wales reached the highest level in the first three quarters of 2020 since the start of our data series, with April to September, during and after the first exclusion, with higher rates compared to the same period in previous years, Ben Humberstone, deputy director of health analysis and life events at the ONS, said this week.
“The reasons for this are complex and it will take time before the impact of the pandemic on alcohol-specific deaths is understood.”
In the United States, alcohol sales rose 54% at the start of the pandemic when the closing date went into effect for the first time, according to an April study in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
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It seems that people are not only drinking more to deal with the stress of locks, but alcohol is also suppressing the immune system of people, which could potentially lead to severe cases of COVID-19.
“Alcohol abuse activates both the immune system, causes inflammation and disrupts the body’s immune response to viral and bacterial infections,” writes the director of the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
“Ultimately, impaired immune system functions and an increased susceptibility to respiratory diseases may contribute to more severe COVID-19 and a greater risk of mortality.”