Coronavirus (COVID-19) roundup: 1 September 2020

ONS published provisional data on the number of deaths by suicide registered in England in the first half of 2020. Some of the main points include:

• It is not yet clear how many suicides have occurred during the coronavirus pandemic, because the process of holding an inquest can delay registrations

• Only a fifth of suicides registered in 2020 actually occurred this year 

• The number of deaths by suicide in Quarter 2 (Apr to Jun) 2020 dropped to the lowest number seen in any quarter since 2001. However, this decrease probably reflects the impact of the pandemic on coroner services, rather than a genuine decrease in suicides

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