Racism ‘exacerbates risk of ethnic minorities dying of coronavirus’

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A Public Health England Report says racism, discrimination and social inequalities exacerbate the risk of catching coronavirus (Picture: Reuters)

Racism, discrimination and social inequality may have contributed to increased risks of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities catching and dying from Covid-19, a leaked report says.

A draft document from Public Health England (PHE) states that historic racism may mean that people are less likely to seek care or to demand better personal protective equipment. Other possible factors include risks linked to occupation and inequalities in the prevalence of conditions such as diabetes and obesity, which increase the severity of coronavirus.

The report, seen by the BBC and Sky News, pointed to racism and discrimination as a root cause affecting health and the risk of both exposure to the virus and becoming seriously ill. It was put together after engagement with 4,000 stakeholders expressing the BAME community’s ‘deep dismay, anger, loss and fear’ during the pandemic. Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live The report found ‘historic racism and poorer experiences of healthcare or at work’ meant individuals in BAME groups were less likely to seek care when needed or to speak up when they had concerns about personal protective equipment or risk.

The report concluded: ‘The unequal impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities may be explained by a number of factors ranging from social and economic inequalities, racism, discrimination and stigma, occupational risk, inequalities in the prevalence of conditions that increase the severity of disease including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and asthma.

’ The PHE report comes after a review which confirmed the risk of death from Covid-19 was substantially higher for ethnic minorities. PHE found that people of Bangladeshi heritage were dying at twice the rate of white Britons, while other black, Asian and minority ethnic groups had between 10% and 50% higher risk of death. The report was criticised for not offering solutions and only confirming what was already known. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) had already shown black people are four more times likely to die after contracting coronavirus than white people.

Recommendations in the draft report include: Better data collection about ethnicity and religion, including having this recorded on death certificates to accurately monitor the impact on these communities Making it law for health risk assessments to be done for BAME workers and giving them better representation in the health service Culturally sensitive public health messaging so that people, particularly those who may not speak English as a first language, understand the advice on how to protect themselves Continuing work to tackle racism and discrimination within the health service with a clear commitment to increase diversity in leadership at all levels. During the engagement with stakeholders, PHE also found that there were major worries around the second phase of Covid-19 and the impact this could have on the BAME community. The engagement sessions highlighted the BAME community’s deep concern that, if lessons are not learnt from the initial phase of this epidemic, future waves of the disease could again have severe and disproportionate impacts.

Whitehall sources told Sky News that this concern was kept out of the PHE review that was published earlier this month because releasing this element would be in ‘too close proximity’ to ongoing anti-racism protests taking place across the country. Responding to the leaked document, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said it demanded ‘urgent action’ from ministers.

He said: ‘We shouldn’t have to rely on leaks. This report should be published in full ASAP and action taken. Labour have been raising concerns for weeks and calling for greater use of targeted testing and protection for staff on frontline for example.’

Source:metro.co.uk/