‘Historic bias’ behind Covid impact
REVIEW CALLS FOR ‘LARGE-SCALE CHANGES TO ADDRESS UNDERLYING INEQUALITIES’
RACISM, discrimination and social inequalities could be factors behind the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on Britain’s black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, according to the latest report by Public Health England (PHE).
Published on Tuesday (16), the research suggested “hostile environments” towards immigrants may have impacted BAME communities due to “heightened prejudice”. It also claimed historic racism may mean that people are less likely to seek care or to demand better personal protective equipment (PPE).
The review is a follow-up to analysis published on June 2 which said BAME people were up to 50 per cent more likely to die due to Covid-19.
The government had earlier been critiicsed for “withholding” the recommendations, and the opposition Labour party called the delay a “scandal”.
The study said it was “clear from discussions with stakeholders that Covid-19... did not create health inequalities, but rather the pandemic exposed and exacerbated longstanding inequalities affecting BAME groups in the UK”.
The most recent research from the UK suggests that ethnicity and income inequality are independently associated with Covid-19 mortality, the report said.
BAME individuals are more likely to work in occupations with a higher risk of Covid-19 exposure, it explained, and they are more likely to use public transportation to travel to their workplaces.
“Historic negative experiences of healthcare or at work may mean that individuals in BAME groups are less likely to seek care when needed, or as NHS staff, are less likely to speak up when they have concerns about PPE or testing,” the report added.
Recommendations in the report included making ethnicity a routine part of NHS statistics and developing the quality of BAME data; including more ethnic minorities in ‘community participatory research’ to understand how social, financial, cultural and religious factors impact the Covid-19 risk; and push public health campaigns for ethnic minority groups, who are at higher risk of obesity and health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.
The report authors added that “the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME groups presented an opportunity to create fast but sustainable change and mitigate further impact”.
“Change needs to be large-scale and transformative,” they said.
PHE chief executive Duncan Selbie said the review engaged with more than 4,000 people who represented the views of BAME communities.
“The clear message from stakeholders was the requirement for tangible actions, provided at scale and pace, with a commitment to address the underlying factors of inequality,” he added.
The PHE report’s main findings earlier this month indicated that older Indianorigin men were within a higher risk category of coronavirus deaths in England, with overall people of Indian, Pakistani, other Asian, Caribbean, other black ethnicity and Chinese ethnicities between 10 and 50 per cent at higher risk of death when compared to white British people. Those of Bangladeshi heritage were found to be dying at twice the rate of white Britons, black males at the rate of 3.9 times and Asian males at 2.5 times.
The outcome had triggered
widespread reactions, including from MPs as well as groups such as the British Association of Physicians of Indian-origin (BAPIO). They raised concerns over the lack of any corresponding recommendations or safety measures attached to the review after weeks of research.