An NHS chief has called on the public to seek help when they need it - after figures showed a 50% drop in the number of people visiting A&E.
This morning Stephen Powis, NHS England's medical director, said steps have been taken to make A&E departments and GP surgeries safe.
Prof Powis told the BBC that fear of overburdening the NHS and fears about catching the deadly bug could be behind a fall in the number of people seeking medical attention.
He said: "If you do have symptoms of stroke, chest pain and think it might be a heart attack, a sick child who is deteriorating, if you are a pregnant woman and the baby is not moving as much as it used to - it is important you don't delay."
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Prof Powis said there were concerns about fewer people seeking medical help for non-coronavirus related issues.
This is because they fear being a burden on the health services, and fear catching Covid-19, he said.
Asked if lives are being lost because people are not presenting themselves to doctors, he told BBC Breakfast: "It would be true to say we are concerned about that.
"Clearly we have seen the reduction in A&E attendances.
"If everybody is self-isolating, there may be less infections being transmitted other than Covid-19.
"What we absolutely want people to do is if you do have a condition, particularly an emergency that is not coronavirus, you should not be afraid of accessing healthcare services."
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) earlier this week showed the death rate is more than 16,000 above the seasonal average.
But of these 10,335 were attributed to Covid-19.
