The impact of Covid-19 on our research
Research is so important now, not just to keep up the pace of 60 years of progress but also to deal with the new and pressing health challenges presented by Covid-19. We've saved countless lives and loved ones with research, but there's still work to do. We must keep research going.
At the start of the pandemic, we closed all 750 of our shops, cancelled dozens of fundraising events and put countless plans on hold.
These necessary but gut wrenching decisions have forced us to cut the amount of funding we can give to life saving research in half this year. And the fact is, this will significantly slow the pace of our progress. It will lead to fewer new discoveries that could save lives.
Why is research important now?
It has become clear that people living with heart disease are particularly vulnerable at the moment. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that it is one of the most common pre-existing conditions in people who have died of the virus in England and Wales.
What’s more, our research has revealed that Covid-19 affects the heart, not just the lungs. This means more people may be affected by heart and circulatory diseases in the future.
Research is so important now not just to keep up the pace of progress, but to deal with the new and pressing challenges presented by Covid-19.
Help us protect 60 years of progress
Research has helped us gain so much ground on heart and circulatory diseases over the last few decades. We now have life saving stents to keep blood flowing, clot busting medications, the knowledge to perform successful heart transplants, miniscule devices to correct heartbeats, and so much more.
But while the world has been on lockdown, conditions like heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia haven’t. They’ve still been tearing families apart, ending lives too soon and snatching away people’s quality of life. Our work is far from done.
None of us can afford this blow to research and that’s why we urgently need your support now.
Support our research
Donate to the BHF
The Covid-19 coronavirus has seen our research funding cut in half. As we face our biggest challenge yet, we need your support now more than ever.
Fund research for children like Calum
After being born without one of the major arteries in his heart, Calum has needed 5 major surgeries and faces a future of repeated operations.
Our research, your support
With your support, we have improved and saved the lives of many people with heart and circulatory diseases. But there's still work to do.