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The number of admissions to hospital with heart attacks fell by 35% by the end of March.

Image of a stethoscope with a heart shape

Researchers at the University of Oxford, working with NHS Digital, in collaboration with experts from the University of Keele, the University of Leeds, Imperial College London, University College London, Barts Health NHS Trust and the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, have published new research that shows that only two thirds of the expected admissions with heart attacks took place at the end of March 2020.

By the end of May, admission rates had partially recovered, but remained below expected levels. In total, by the end of May there had been about 5000 fewer admissions with heart attack in 2020 than would be expected, suggesting that many patients have missed out on lifesaving treatment. The study, published today in The Lancet, used data regularly collected by NHS Digital from NHS Hospital Trusts in England to get up-to-date information about admissions to hospital. Researchers documented a reduction in admissions with heart attack in England at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing weekly rates in 2020 with those observed in 2019. They are continuing to monitor these trends and will post updated results every month at https://www.ctsu.ox.ac.uk/research/covid-19-acute-coronary-syndromes.

The full story is available on the University of Oxford website