HAVING read the feature (Thursday, 30th July) concerning the reported number of deaths from COVID-19 throughout Hampshire, between March & June, as published by the Office for National Statistics, it immediately struck me that the figures quoted for different locations were rather meaningless in their presentation.
For example, within Southampton, the implications therein are that both Woolston & Central West districts were “hotspots” within the city, each with 16 persons recorded as having died as a direct result of the virus, whereas none were listed for Swaythling.
Whilst I am far from being any kind of expert in mathematics, to me, a far more realistic comparison could only be made if the statistics had included the ratio of deaths to confirmed cases and then both of these were offset against the total number of people living in each of the places mentioned in the article.
Otherwise, it stands to reason that, if one area is bigger than another then, logically, that is obviously bound to result in a higher figure pro-rata.
- Which areas had most deaths in Eastleigh, New Forest and Winchester?
Notwithstanding all this, the other vital factor that will also have had a major impact on the mortality rate in any particular district, will also be the number of care homes operating in them.
Woolston certainly has quite a few and so it beggars the question as to how many of the 16 unfortunate victims were elderly and passed away in one of these?
Indeed, I am given to understand that there are care homes in Ashurst and hence this would also explain why the combined total of deaths for both there and Cadnam is seemingly disproportionately high for two mostly semi-rural settlements.
Regardless of where they occur in the county, any further loss of life from COVID-19 is one too many, but I am disappointed that, for a government funded body consisting of so-called “professionals”, the way the O.N.S. publicised these figures, without properly qualifying them, has ended up making some places appear to be far less safe than others and thus they may have caused unnecessary additional fear to those residing in them, during this current crisis.
Ralph Frost.
Woolston
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