Lichfield’s MP says data on deaths from non-coronavirus causes should be published to put current Covid figures in context.
Michael Fabricant made his comments ahead of an expected end to many of the restrictions put in place during the pandemic.
The Conservative MP said additional figures could create greater clarity for the public on why decisions were being made.
“While it is still important to abide by social distancing, data from Public Health England shows that the UK Vaccine Programme has been a success.
“The latest data shows that in Staffordshire – and reflected elsewhere – for the last 12 out of 13 weeks for which data is available, the number of deaths has been substantially lower than the five year average before Covid.
“Fewer people are dying than normal, so while I understand that the Government does not want to stop publishing daily Covid death and infection rates because people may think it is hiding something, I have suggested to the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, that deaths through other causes should be published too to put this all in context.
“It would be helpful if the public had a better idea of the context of the daily death rate.”
Michael Fabricant MP
Mr Fabricant said he hoped Covid would eventually be able to be viewed as “an unpleasant illness and not necessarily a killer”.
“Every day people die from communicable diseases like viral pneumonia and influenza and we take it as a fact of life – or death.
“When 400 years ago the Spanish Conquistadors invaded South America, they killed more native Americans through disease than by conquest.
“Illnesses like measles were killers because natives had built up no resistance to this ‘new’ disease. This is similar to today.
“The Covid vaccines are building up our antibody and T-cell resistance so I hope that in the months to come, catching Covid will become at worst an unpleasant illness like measles and not necessarily a killer.”
Michael Fabricant MP
