In the UK, a large proportion of staff who work in the NHS come from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups and some are dying from COVID-19 at a much higher rate than white staff. The same is true in the general population. The ramifications of the pandemic are far from over. The health, social and economic impact are affecting ethnic and gender groups in different ways. The evidence demonstrates that minority groups are over-represented in hospitalisations and deaths. Public Health England is launching an inquiry into the issue (Platt and Warwick, 2020).
People from ethnic minority backgrounds represent 14% of the population; however, Bailey and West (2020) found that, according to the Race Equality Foundation (REF) (2020), they account for 34% of critically ill COVID-19 patients and a similar percentage of all COVID-19 cases.
Currently, we do not know why there are substantial numbers of key workers from BAME backgrounds being infected by coronavirus. More information about those who have died and others who have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be advanced. A better understanding of the geography, potential exposure and personal demographic characteristics should be made available to allow the identification of explanatory factors.
For all ethnic groups other than white British and white Irish, the number of deaths has exceeded what would be expected, based on their age profile. The mixed and Indian ethnic groups were more than twice as likely to die in hospital; Pakistani, Bangladeshi and black Caribbean nearly three times as likely; black African more than four times more likely and other black and other ethnic groups nearly eight times more likely (REF, 2020).
The staggering ethnic differences in death rates in hospitals from COVID-19 highlight a familiar pattern of racial inequality. Although the Government has given its commitment to investigate the issue, which has been well received, the terms of reference of the inquiry are yet to be established. According to Bailey and West (2020), the inquiry should ask two key questions: why are people from ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by COVID-19? And what will we do about it?
Bailey and West (2020) note that people from BAME groups are more likely to have underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus; they work in roles where they are exposed to it and live in conditions in which it is more likely to spread. BAME groups in the UK are among the poorest socioeconomic groups with structural inequalities placing them at much higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, as well as experiencing harsher economic impacts from those government measures that have been introduced to slow the spread of the virus (Huque, 2020).
There is suspicion about government promises given the failure and gross ineptitude to protect those frontline workers in health and social care settings. Once again the extent of inequality is being laid bare. The health and economic inequalities among ethnic minorities is critical to understanding why some ethnic minority groups are bearing the brunt of COVID-19 (Huque, 2020). There is a need to go further than just observing and recognising. Action is needed now to safeguard the health and economic susceptibilities that ethnic minorities are much more exposed to. These extreme racial inequalities demand urgent investigation.