Hundreds more deaths were recorded in Cumbria in the first half of the year than expected, figures suggest.
Public Health England data compares the number of deaths registered with how many were predicted based on previous mortality rates to calculate the number of excess deaths in an area.
Based on estimates for 2015-19, Cumbria was predicted to see 2,993 deaths from any causes in the first 26 weeks of the year (January 2 and July 2).
But there were 3,333 deaths during this period – 340 more than were estimated.
Of the deaths registered in the first half of 2021, 669 (20 per cent) had Covid-19 on the death certificate.
Excess deaths are considered a better measure of the overall impact of Covid-19 than simply looking at mortality directly linked to the virus, as they capture deaths that may have been indirectly caused by the crisis.
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