0 measures in place for black people at 4.3 x higher risk of covid death - back to work everybody!

An analysis of the ONS report findings and government action: By Marceline Powell

We have all seen the headlines telling us that people from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (so called BAME) communities are at higher risk of death from Covid 19. For the first time, the Office for National Statistics analysed deaths by ethnicity. Part of me is asking why they bothered, only to tell us their disturbing findings and the Prime Minister to follow with a lockdown lift that includes not one single measure to protect these so called 'BAME' citizens, who are most likely to be on the frontline, or according to findings from every other report, be the most likely to need to return to a low paid job.

The findings are worrying indeed however, it could be argued that the underlying issues are more starkly associated to economic circumstances than anything else. The other contributing factor appears to be the treatment received by so called BAME patients.

The latter would go some way to explaining why - although the higher risk of death is dramatically reduced as a Black person if you are in a higher income bracket, - senior doctors and other high income staff on any frontline, still appear to be at higher risk of death.

Speaking directly to families and following the steady stream of disturbing videos of black people who have lost loved ones during the pandemic. The stories are disturbing, and they go unspoken in the mainstream media. These stories tell of older black people being taken into hospital for various reasons, some may have high blood pressure or diabetes for example and upon feeling unwell they are admitted to hospital. One older lady we learned about had been taken to hospital following a fall. What many of these patients and subsequent stories have in common is their loved ones have subsequently died very quickly, and Covid 19 cited as cause of death. But other common features in these stories include some or all of the following:

• If the loved one taken into hospital had a DNR in place, the families have shared that they were told immediately that it would be implemented. Suggesting their loved one would receive no help in the event they deteriorated.

• In several cases, the patients’ previous medications were immediately removed, e.g. blood pressure tablets etc. in each case where this was mentioned the family were not told until afterwards

• In all cases we were told about, the families were suddenly contacted to say their goodbye's and upon doing so, expressed concern about the copious amounts of morphine being administered to the patient.

Many videos have emerged online, showing concerned relatives of black families in the UK and the US, expressing concern about the above. The following video circulated on social media and is a disturbing example of the stories we are hearing regularly within the black community.

Video below - a man talks about his families experience following his fathers hospital admission in the UK.

Several videos show health workers too, they also express concern about the treatment they have received. The vidoe below was posted recently by a health worker recovering from Covid 19.

Add to these already disturbing experiences, black people telling us they have underlying conditions such as Asthma, not being sent care packs, and some being told they are not at any increased risk. One 30-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous, told us that despite having chronic asthma most of his life, his doctor refused him a care pack (containing emergency back-up medication). The GP had told him he was no longer considered such and he would be fine. The young man concerned by this purchased his own nebulizer, but the doctor then refused to provide the required medication on prescription and it cannot be purchased over the counter.

Sharon from London also told us that her doctor advised she was not at risk of the respiratory attacking Covid 19 despite being over 60 and asthmatic.

Here is what we now know officially. Quote from the ONS report:

"The provisional analysis has shown that the risk of death involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) among some ethnic groups is significantly higher than that of those of White ethnicity.

When considering age in the analysis, Black males are 4.2 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-related death and Black females are 4.3 times more likely than White ethnicity males and females.

People of Bangladeshi and Pakistani, Indian, and Mixed ethnicities also had statistically significant raised risk of death involving COVID-19 compared with those of White ethnicity.

After taking account of age and other socio-demographic characteristics and measures of self-reported health and disability at the 2011 Census, the risk of a COVID-19-related death for males and females of Black ethnicity reduced to 1.9 times more likely than those of White ethnicity.

Similarly, males in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic group were 1.8 times more likely to have a COVID-19-related death than White males when age and other socio-demographic characteristics and measures of self-reported health and disability were taken into account; for females, the figure was 1.6 times more likely.

These results show that the difference between ethnic groups in COVID-19 mortality is partly a result of socio-economic disadvantage and other circumstances, but a remaining part of the difference has not yet been explained".

The report goes on to explain that the analysis includes deaths involving COVID-19 that occurred between 2 March and 10 April 2020, registered by 17 April.

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Breaking the deaths down further by age and sex, the report shows that deaths involving COVID-19 are more numerous for males and in people aged 65 years and older compared with those aged under 65 years, for all ethnic groups.

Statisticians have used binary logistic regression models, which allow them to estimate whether the risk of dying from COVID-19 is greater amongst Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups compared to the White ethnic population. This also allows them to take into account a number of geographic, demographic, socio-economic circumstances, including details such as living arrangements and health measures from the most recent Census.

Since ethnicity is not recorded on a death certificate. To enable analysis by ethnicity, deaths involving COVID-19, it is made clear the research has to be linked to the 2011 Census. This way they ascertain the 'self-reported ethnicity of the deceased and other demographic factors'.

The general picture, before adjusting on the basis of economic circumstances is explained in the report as follows:

The risk of death generally, and specifically death from COVID-19, is closely related to age. After adjusting for age, men and women from all ethnic minority groups (except females with Chinese ethnicity) are at greater risk of dying from COVID-19 compared with those of White ethnicity. Black males are 4.2 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than White males, while Black females are 4.3 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than White females. People of Bangladeshi and Pakistani, Indian, and Mixed ethnicities also had statistically significantly raised odds of death compared with those of White ethnicity. For the Chinese ethnic group, we find a raised risk among males but not females.

To test whether the differences in risk of COVID-19-related death within ethnic groups differed by their socio-economic class, logistic regression models were estimated separately for the three socio-economic classes of the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC).

By doing so, they could compare the risk of COVID-19-related death across ethnic groups within the same socio-economic class, adjusting for other individual and household characteristics.

The study showed the differences in risk of COVID-19-related death across ethnic groups are of similar magnitudes within all three socio-economic classes.

This means that a substantial part of the difference in COVID-19 mortality between ethnic groups is explained by the different circumstances in which members of those groups are known to live, such as areas with socio-economic deprivation. Geographic and socio-economic factors were accounting for over half of the difference in risk between males and females of Black and White ethnicity.

However, the report still concludes that these factors do not explain all of the differences, suggesting that other causes are still to be identified.

Will the government be looking into the reported treatment of people from these communities regarding treatment received in the health service? Will there be any special measure in place for workers from Black, Asian and ethnic Minority communities?

At present there seems a brushing away of a truly disturbing and sinister revelation. A revelation, whilst not new to those of us from so called BAME communities, the depth of inequality in Britain has a new light shining on it, a light brought about by Covid-19. And an ugly shadow emerges, that is the lack of care from the government and no action whatsoever to try and protect its so called BAME citizens.

WATCH: The latest episode of Intelligent Conversations with Marceline. Barrister Ryan Clement talks about returning to work after lockdown.

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