Ethnicity and deprivation key factors in Covid mortality, says Wolverhampton study
Ethnicity and deprivation played an important role in Covid-19 severity and death rates, a study based in Wolverhampton has found.
University of Wolverhampton academics and clinicians from the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust have published research into the impact of ethnicity and deprivation on severity of Covid-19 in the British Medical Journal Open.
The team, led by Professor Dev Singh and Dr Simon Dunmore from the University, has analysed clinical and demographic data for people who have suffered severely from Covid-19; those that have been admitted to hospital and those that passed away from the virus.
Dr Dunmore said: “Our study has shown an increased risk of severe Covid-19 for people of black ethnicity, compared to white people. This result is similar to what has been found in other national and international studies.
“However, in contrast to these other studies, we found that people of a South Asian background had a lower risk compared with white and black people.
“We’ve therefore recommended that analysis of such risks needs to be more nuanced and to take into account local variations; particularly since conveying an exaggerated risk could lead to people being deterred unnecessarily from seeking appropriate medical help, for example going to a hospital.”
The data was based on cases that were admitted to New Cross Hospital, compared to the whole population of Wolverhampton and surrounding area that the hospital serves.
