Black, Asian and ethnic minorities more likely to die of Covid-19
UK, (DAILY MAIL), 19 JUNE 2020 - A report of the Office of National securities (ONS) reveals what one expert described as being ‘deeply disturbing’ -he disclosed the coronavirus is killing black men at triple the rate of white males in the UK, adding to a string of damning research that shows Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) groups are being disproportionately hit by the disease.
Muslims and Jewish people are up to two-and-a-half times more likely to die of Covid-19 than non-religious Brits, startling data revealed today.
Figures showed 198.9 Muslim men died of coronavirus for every 100,000 British males between the start of March and mid-may, compared to a rate of 80.7 for nonbelievers. The ONS report also revealed the Covid-19 death rate was only slightly lower at 187.9 for Jewish men, followed by 154.8 for Hindus, 128.6 for Sikhs and 113.5 for Buddhists. The rate for Christian men was just 92.6.
Similar disparities were seen among females, with the death rate for Muslim women being 98.2, followed by 94.3 for Jewish women, 93.3 for Hindus and 69.4 for Sikhs. The rate for non-religious women was 47.9, while it was 54.6 for Christian women and 57.4 for Buddhists. The Covid-19 death rate among black men was 255.7 per 100,000 people between March 2 and May 15, the highest of any ethnicity. For white men during the same time period there were 87 deaths per 100,000 people, the lowest of any ethnic group. Black women were also being killed by the virus at nearly two-and-a-half times the rate of white women at the height of the crisis in the UK, the figures show. The death rate among black females was 119 per 100,000 people, compared to 52 per 100,000 white women.
Scientists are struggling to pin down exactly why death rates among BAME Brits are higher but they believe it may be because minority groups in the UK have considerably higher rates of health problems that raise their risk of catching a severe bout of Covid-19, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Links to higher rates of vitamin D deficiencies are also being investigated.