More people died in Britain last year than in any year in the past century, surpassing even the toll during the 1918 pandemic, the government’s statistical agency reported Tuesday. And with around 90,000 more deaths than expected, it was the highest number of excess fatalities recorded since World War II.
But as terrible as the toll has been, officials are warning that the worst is yet to come, as a recent explosion in new infections translates into more hospitalizations and more deaths.
As a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus continues to tear through Britain — with an estimated 1 in 30 people in London infected — hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed, even as authorities struggle to convince the public of the urgency of the moment.