Coronavirus: Black men have higher coronavirus death rate than anyone else in England and Wales
White men and women have the lowest coronavirus-mortality rates of any ethnic group, other than Chinese men.
Friday 16 October 2020 12:51, UK
Men from African, Caribbean and Bangladeshi ethnic backgrounds have higher rates of death involving coronavirus than any other ethnic group in England and Wales, new data shows.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said rates have exceeded 250 per 100,000 for those groups.
The ONS had previously combined Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups but has since found the latter group had a "significantly higher" risk of dying with COVID-19.
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The data covers the period up to 28 July 2020.
White men have a mortality rate of 106.8 deaths per 100,000, second only to Chinese men - who have the lowest coronavirus mortality rate.
White women in England and Wales have the lowest rate of death among women, at 65.7 per 100,000.
Women of black Caribbean backgrounds had the highest death rate among women, at 128.8 per 100,000 - almost double that of white women, and "significantly higher" than women from Indian, mixed race and Chinese ethnic backgrounds
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After considering socio-economic characteristics, geography and health measures, black men of an African background had a 2.5 times higher rate of coronavirus-related death than white men, while women retained a 2.1 times greater risk.
For men, all ethnic minority groups, other than Chinese, kept a raised rate of COVID-19 mortality after those adjustments were made and in women, all groups other than Bangladeshi, Chinese and mixed ethnic groups had a higher rate.
People of a South Asian ethnic background had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which were associated with increased COVID-19 mortality.
The ONS suggests the differences in COVID-19 mortality rates can be put down to demographic and socio-economic factors, such as occupational exposure, rather than pre-existing health conditions.
A review was ordered over summer into why BAME people were disproportionately affected by the virus, but the government later admitted that it had "not gone far enough", and no recommendations were made.
In June, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had been "really struck" by the "clear difference" in the proportion of people dying with coronavirus who are from ethnic minority backgrounds.