Aegon saw a sharp fall in Critical Illness claims during the pandemic but a surge in life insurance claims.

The provider said 37% fewer policyholders claimed on CI policies during May compared to May 2019 but there were 83% more life insurance claims in April year on year.

CI claims in April were 17% lower than April 2019 with cancer continuing to be the key cause for CI claims during the lockdown period although the insurer said it had received only two Coronavirus-related CI claims so far.

At the same time, Aegon saw a surge in life insurance claims in April and May this year compared to 2019.

In April there was an 83% increase in life insurance claims compared to the same month in 2019.

There was also a 58% increase in life insurance claims in May compared to May 2019.

Around a third (31%) of the life insurance claims received in April and May were related to the Coronavirus.

The average age of life insurance claimant during April and May was 64, with 80% of claimants being male.

Fewer accident-related life insurance claims were received, however.

Simon Jacobs, head of underwriting and claims at Aegon UK, said: “The impact of lockdown can be clearly seen in the volume of CI claims and it’s worrying.

“People being mindful of burdening the NHS, might have delayed a GP visit or might have missed early detection due to limited screenings for things like breast and bowel cancer.

“As NHS services resume and lockdown loosens, we might expect to see a steady increase in claims over the coming months. Early detection is important when it comes to cancer and treatment options so we would urge those who have a health concern to seek medical advice as soon as they can.

“An increase in life claims is expected during a global health crisis of this scale. However, the rise was slightly countered by the impact of lockdown life. With more people staying in and staying safe, there was a reduced risk of deaths caused by road traffic accidents for example.”