COVID-19 results in a significant requirement for hospitalisation and high mortality among patients requiring admission to critical care (particularly among those requiring ventilation).15 16 In the SW, the population is on average older than in London17 and is older than the UK as a whole (online supplemental table S1). Older age puts individuals at elevated risk of requiring hospital care.18–20 Consequently, we might expect higher mortality and greater demand for beds in the SW than estimations output from national models that may lack such granularity or risk sensitivity.