Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
POOREST IN PERIL..
Socially deprived areas hardest hit by pandemic
PEOPLE living in socially deprived areas are impacted most by all pandemics, regardless of their religion, the Chief Medical Officer said yesterday.
Pressed about comments that the virus is more prevalent in nationalist areas, Dr Michael Mcbride said there is “no evidence” Covid-19 is having a “disproportionate affect on any section of the community”.
Northern Ireland’s top medic added that at “no stage, publicly or privately” did he “suggest a link between transmission and people’s political affiliation or religion”, adding there is “no such evidence”.
Dr Mcbride appeared reluctant to be drawn on the comments by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots but said “areas of socio-economic deprivation” have been affected more adversely by Covid-19, adding we “saw it in wave one and undoubtedly we will see in wave two, that the poorest in society” suffer most.
Some commentators have suggested that social deprivation is a key driver of higher rates of Covid-19 in certain areas in the wake of Mr Poots claiming there was a “difference between nationalist and unionist areas, and the difference is around six to one”.
He suggested coronavirus had increased among nationalists at a higher rate because behaviours had been influenced by “poor political leadership” shown by Sinn Fein leaders when they attended June’s funeral of IRA veteran Bobby Storey in West B elfast in apparent contravention of Stormont’s rules on mass gatherings.
Dr Mcbride also moved to dispel speculation that events linked to the GAA had a disproportionate impact on soaring infection numbers in recent weeks.
He added: “There is no one sporting event that has any less association with people coming together either to celebrate the outcome of a particular event or to congregate to watch a particular event.”
Prof Young said a number of identifiable clusters had been linked to sporting clubs and events but he stressed those cases involved “all sporting codes”.
Earlier, during Assembly question time, Health Minister Robin Swann told MLAS there was no evidential basis for Mr Poots’ contention. He added: “Something we don’t do is ask anybody who’s contracted Covid-19 their political or religious affiliation. Our nursing staff, our doctors, our hospital porters don’t care what religion or what political affiliation their patients have. Nor does Covid.
“And I think that’s the critical point we need to get through to anyone listening that this virus is no respecter of political persuasion, religious belief or economic or social background as well. It’s an equal opportunities killer.”
Mr Poots has insisted that his comments were not sectarian, telling yesterday’s Irish News that could not be the case because most Sinn Fein leaders “don’t attend the Catholic church on a regular basis”.
He said his remarks were instead a statement about “poor political leadership”. In the Assembly yesterday, Mr Poots’ party and constituency colleague
Paul Givan defended his stance, insisting he had not introduced the issue of religion into the debate.
The Lagan Valley MLA said: “Those that make the accusations about other colleagues are blinded by their own catastrophic failures when it comes to how this issue has been managed.
“The funeral issue [has been] well documented, [they have] an inability to recognise that in areas the rate has been higher.
“And that’s what my colleague [Mr Poots] outlined, the rate has been higher in those areas where the party opposite [Sinn Fein] has greater political support than other areas.
“No mention [made by Mr Poots] anywhere of religion.”
During a media briefing with Dr Mcbride and Chief Scientific Officer Prof Ian Young, there was some positive news too with people in the Derry City and Strabane council area praised for their “excellent compliance” which has set the rate of infection in the area on the “right trajectory”.
The numbers there “remain significantly higher”, however, than the rest of Northern Ireland, Prof Young said as he warned people should not become “complacent”.
Asked about recent flak from West Belfast ML A Pat S h eehan , who suggested at the Stormont Health Committee that the track and trace system was as “useful as a chocolate fireguard”, Dr Mcbride admitted the unit has been under “extreme pressure”.
But he insisted test and trace is not a “magic bullet” that can on its own negate the need for restrictions.
He said that recent figures from the unit point to an improving picture. However, he admitted he “can’t rule
out further inter ventions” even if, as is expected, the R number will fall below 1 due to recently introduced restrictions.
But Dr Mcbride added that improvements in testing technology could pave the way for allowing society “greater freedom” even ahead of a vaccine being developed.