Page 21 - Urban Kapital New MAY JUNE 2020 ISSUE

THE HARSH & BRUTAL TRUTHS ABOUT BRITAINS INEQUALITIES
COVID-19 AND ETHNICITY

Black people 4.2 times x more likely to die from •In several cases, the patients’ previous medica-
Covid - 19, Asian people 1.8 x more likely but 0 tions were immediately removed, e.g. blood pres-
measures in place, back to work everybody! sure tablets etc. in each case where this was men-
tioned the family were not told until afterwards
We have all seen the headlines telling us that •In all cases we were told about, the families were
people from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (so suddenly contacted to say their goodbye’s and
called BAME) communities are at higher risk of upon doing so, expressed concern about the copi-
death from Covid 19. For the first time, the Office ous amounts of morphine being administered to
for National Statistics analysed deaths by ethnic- the patient.
ity. Part of me is asking why they bothered, only
to tell us their disturbing findings and the Prime Many videos have emerged online, showing con-
Minister to follow with a lockdown lift that includes cerned relatives of black families in the UK and the
not one single measure to protect these so called US, expressing concern about the above.
‘BAME’ citizens, who are most likely to be on the
frontline, or according to findings from every other Here is what we now know officially. Quote from
report, be the most likely to need to return to a low the ONS report:
paid job.
“The provisional analysis has shown that the risk
The findings are worrying indeed however, it could of death involving the coronavirus (COVID-19)
be argued that the underlying issues are more among some ethnic groups is significantly higher
starkly associated to economic circumstances than that of those of White ethnicity.
than anything else. The other contributing factor
appears to be the treatment received by so called When considering age in the analysis, Black males
BAME patients. are 4.2 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-re-
lated death and Black females are 4.3 times more
The latter would go some way to explaining why likely than White ethnicity males and females.
- although the higher risk of death is dramatically
reduced as a Black person if you are in a higher People of Bangladeshi and Pakistani, Indian, and
income bracket, - senior doctors and other high Mixed ethnicities also had statistically significant
income staff on any frontline, still appear to be at raised risk of death involving COVID-19 compared
higher risk of death. with those of White ethnicity.

Speaking directly to families and following the After taking account of age and other socio-demo-
steady stream of disturbing videos of black peo- graphic characteristics and measures of self-re-
ple who have lost loved ones during the pandemic. ported health and disability at the 2011 Census,
The stories are disturbing, and they go unspoken the risk of a COVID-19-related death for males and
in the mainstream media. These stories tell of old- females of Black ethnicity reduced to 1.9 times
er black people being taken into hospital for vari- more likely than those of White ethnicity.
ous reasons, some may have high blood pressure
or diabetes for example and upon feeling unwell Similarly, males in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani
they are admitted to hospital. One older lady we ethnic group were 1.8 times more likely to have
learned about had been taken to hospital following a COVID-19-related death than White males when
a fall. What many of these patients and subsequent age and other socio-demographic characteristics
stories have in common is their loved ones have and measures of self-reported health and disabil-
subsequently died very quickly, and Covid 19 cited ity were taken into account; for females, the figure
as cause of death. But other common features in was 1.6 times more likely.
these stories include some or all of the following:
These results show that the difference between
•If the loved one taken into hospital had a DNR in ethnic groups in COVID-19 mortality is partly a re-
place, the families have shared that they were told sult of socio-economic disadvantage and other cir-
MAGAZINE // 20 gesting their loved one would receive no help in has not yet been explained”. MAGAZINE // 21
immediately that it would be implemented. Sug-
cumstances, but a remaining part of the difference
the event they deteriorated.

Editor: Marceline Powell