Coronavirus response ‘harming ethnic minorities and migrants,’ warn health experts

Ethnic minorities and migrants are being disproportionately harmed by the response to coronavirus, according to health experts.

Minority groups are at a higher risk of suffering serious illness from Covid-19 and are more vulnerable to poor health policies and actions implemented by national authorities, the researchers have said.

Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, they say many migrant groups – especially those without documents – are less likely to seek help or may seek help later once the disease has progressed.

Dr Delan Devakumar, the lead author, said: “Black, Asian and minority ethnic [Bame] and migrant groups have a greater risk of contracting Covid-19 infection, as they are more likely to live in poor and overcrowded accommodation and do precarious forms of work or work in the gig economy.”

The associate professor at the Institute for Global Health at University College London added: “They are also more likely to get a severe form of the infection.”

In the UK, data from the Office for National Statistics has shown that black people are 1.9 times more likely to die of Covid-19 than white people, while British-Indians are around 1.5 times more likely.

Analysis from Public Health England (PHE) also found that once in hospital, people from Bame backgrounds were more likely to then require admission to an intensive care unit.

And a report ordered by Sage, the government’s scientific advisory committee, showed that an increased risk of infection could be leading to the higher death rates seen among ethnic minorities.

Dr Devakuma and his team said for many people from Bame communities and migrant groups, stopping work is not just an inconvenience, but it is impossible.

This increases the chance of getting an infection and then it can more easily spread to family members in crowded and high-density dwellings, they added.

The researchers also stressed that migrant groups in the UK would be unwilling to seek help during the pandemic, pointing to a previous study which found these individuals are fearful of attempting to access healthcare due to the risk of detainment under the government’s ‘hostile environment policies’.

A government spokesperson said that “anyone experiencing coronavirus symptoms will be treated for free, regardless of their immigration status”.

The health experts also considered the economic fallout from the pandemic and the impact this would have on certain groups.

They said the poorest in society, who have insecure employment and are most vulnerable in terms of health, are at risk from other stress-related health problems, especially mental health issues, that increase in times of recession.

“To successfully combat a pandemic, health protection measures rely on well-prepared and well-functioning health services that treat and support everyone, ensuring those most at risk are protected,” Dr Devakumar said.

“Public health principles based around equity should be firmly at the core of the world’s response.”

The UK government said it is taking action on the initial findings of PHE’s report into the impact of coronavirus on Bame communities.

A spokesperson said: “Through this work, we will be able to make a real difference to people’s lives and protect our communities from the impact of the coronavirus.”

Press Association contributed to this report