By Emmanuel Urhiofe – The long-awaited report by Public Health England has exposed a huge disparity in the coronavirus pandemic mortality rate. The report states that people from the ethnic minorities are at a higher risk of dying from the virus than people of Caucasian origin. Apart from age, being male was seen as a very important risk factor.
The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Asian, Caribbean and black ethnic minorities have received widespread reviews across the ethnic minority population.
The report has enraged sections of the ethnic community who felt that action was urgently needed to address this gross injustice.
The report comes as black solidarity protest under the aegis of Black Lives Matter engulf most states in the United States and across the world over the killing of 46-year old African-American George Floyd, in the state of Minneapolis.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the report is ‘troubling’ most especially at a time when the world is angry about racial injustice.
He said much more work need to be done to understand what is driving these disparities.
“We are absolutely determined to get to the bottom of this and find ways of closing this gap,” he said, adding that he has asked equalities minister Kemi Badenoch to continue working on the issue alongside Public Health England (PHE).
Many respondents have voiced concern that belonging to an ethnic minority has become a serious risk factor.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “lives depend on finding out why the virus disproportionately impacts black and minority ethnic people, and what actions the government was taking to stop it.”
The report gave no singular factor or clear reasons for the disparities in mortality rate. However, a combination of factors such as age, deprivation, diet, ethnicity and co-morbidities such as pre-existing health conditions were given as risk factors.
The 80-page report which was published on June 2 confirmed that the highest mortality rate was in people in the black minority population. The average mortality rate was 486 for female and 649 for the male out of 100,000.
The report found that people above the age of 80 are 70 times more likely to die from the coronavirus than those under of 40. If age and sex are taken out of the equation, people of Bangladeshi ethnicity have twice the risk of death than people of white British ethnicity.
The report also highlighted the fact that working-age men diagnosed with Covid-19 are twice as likely to die as women. The risk of dying with the virus is higher among those living in more deprived parts of the UK while certain occupations such as security guards, taxi or bus drivers, construction workers and social care staff are at higher risk.
Covid-19 death rates were highest among people of Black and Asian ethnic groups when compared to white British ethnicity. Over all, the statistics reveal that people of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, other Asian, Caribbean and other Black ethnicity had between a 10% and 50% higher risk of death when compared to white British people.
Issues in report need to be addressed
Some Africans have validated some aspects of the report while others have asked the government to urgently address the issues raised in the report.
President Emeritus of Ohaneze Ndigbo UK and Chairman of Nando Social Club International, UK, Chief Sir (Dr) Ejikeme Uzualor said, “ethnic workers who are at the front line need to be protected from the virus by appropriate provision of PPE.
He said: “Many black workers need equal opportunity in the work place through the provision of fair wages and salaries which are proportionate with their white counterparts. Most black workers are either working zero hours or are working long hours to make ends meet.
On the socio-economic level, the Chief Uzualor said: “There is no doubt that Africans live in poor crowded housing areas which expose them to infection. Many also have underlying health issues. But government should urgently address these environmental issues in the short and long term”
He advised Africans to always protect themselves from infection by regular intake of vitamins D and C, through exposure to the sun. This is likely to boost their immunity.
Burster Iyere, an exporter of medical supplies to Nigeria, based in Sunderland, said, “it is true that most Africans have pre-existing conditions such as diabetics, high blood pressure and heart conditions.” He however stressed that socio-economic conditions such as unhealthy or crowded housing conditions, and lack of access to high quality health care can be regarded as very high-risk factors.
Mr Iyere, who holds two Masters degrees, one in Health Planning and Management and another in Organised Crime and Terrorism, from the University of East London, said, “the government should set up an independent Research Group to look into the causes of the disparity in mortality rate, from which they can now target the problem.”
He said: “People from the ethnic minorities should also abide by simple government regulations such as social distancing. We always assume we are strong, but the reverse is the case. We should improve our dieting too.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised the report for not providing recommendations for at-risk groups, adding that the virus “thrives on inequality” and “inequality thrives on inaction.
Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy said, “Families are living in fear and the government “must take urgent action to protect at-risk groups.”
People from ethnic minority backgrounds constitute 14 per cent of the UK population but, according to a recent study, they account for 34 per cent of critically ill Covid-19 patients and a similar percentage of all Covid-19 cases.
Anger
Meanwhile demonstrators gathered, on Wednesday in London’s Hyde Park for the protest organised by campaign group Black Lives Matter, before marching south through the city.
The organised protest followed days of protests in US cities including Washington DC, Los Angeles, Houston and Seattle, after the Floyd case reignited deep-seated anger over police killings of black Americans and racism. The protests have spread to Ghana and South Africa.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators condemned the police brutality against black Americans over the years specifically since 1619.
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