The impact of Covid is not classless – and a shocking new report proves it

An extensive piece of research by the Northern Health Science Alliance exposes how inequality has been amplified by the pandemic. It must be a wake-up call to the government, writes Ian Hamilton

The pandemic has affected the North and South of England in entirely different ways (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Few will be surprised to learn that the economic impact of Covid-19 has been felt most acutely in the North of England. “Covid-19 and the northern powerhouse”, an extensive piece of research carried out by the Northern Health Science Alliance, explores why this might be the case.

It is an impressive and significant report, which harnesses the skills and knowledge of the country’s leading scientists to analyse the impact of Covid on England’s regions. Their findings are startling and should be a wake-up call to the government, particularly after it promised to “level up” following the last election.

When the North-South divide is discussed, it tends to be framed in economic terms. What is interesting about this research is its focus on the impact of the North-South divide on people’s health and life chances. It is sobering to discover, for example, that men in the worst affected northern regions die five years earlier than their peers in the south; for women, the gap is four years. Some of this is accounted for by stubborn and persistent differences in health and employment (or unemployment). But what is shocking is how these differences have been amplified by the pandemic.