U.K. Minorities Face Higher Risk Dying of Covid-19 Than Whites

(Bloomberg) -- People from ethnic minority groups in England face a higher risk of dying if they develop a serious case of Covid-19 than white patients, analysis by Public Health England showed.

Males, people older than 80 years and those living in deprived areas are also more vulnerable, the agency said in a report published on Tuesday. The study didn't take into account aggravating factors such as pre-existing medical conditions or obesity.

Minority groups also face a heightened risk of infection because they are more likely to live in large households, hold jobs that expose them to the virus and reside in densely populated or deprived urban areas, the study showed. After accounting for gender, deprivation and geography, people of Bangladeshi ethnicity were about twice as likely to die of Covid-19 than whites.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people “are understandably angry about injustices” and promised to conduct more research. “It is very clear that some people are significantly more vulnerable to Covid-19, and that is something I am determined to understand in full and take action to address,” he said.

The findings are similar to April data that showed black and Hispanic New Yorkers are dying from the virus at a higher rate than white people.

Deaths linked to coronavirus in England and Wales have fallen to the lowest since a lockdown began in March in a sign that restrictions on movement proved effective in reducing the spread of the disease. Almost 2,590 deaths registered mentioned the virus on the death certificate in the week ended May 22, almost a third less than the week before.