Coronavirus: BAME groups more likely to be worse affected by Covid-19 than white people

‘This is a signal and it needs to be looked at more carefully,’ says professor

Research into the first British patients to contract Covid-19 has shown that BAME people are more likely to be seriously impacted and end up in critical care compared to white people.

The study, conducted by the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, found that out of nearly 2,000 coronavirus patients, 35 per cent were non-white – BAME people make up 13 per cent of the UK population as a whole.

The research includes data drawn from a sample of 286 critical care units across the UK up until 3 April.

It also found that 14 per cent of people with the most severe cases of Covid-19 were black and the same proportion were Asian.

The study has prompted a need for further research into why the illness could be having a greater impact on BAME people.

It revealed further details about how Covid-19 has a disproportionate effect of men, with three-quarters of all of those in a critical condition being male.

The median age for everyone included in the study was 61 years old.

Kamlesh Khunti, professor in primary care diabetes and vascular medicine at the University of Leicester, explained that further research is needed.

“This is a signal and it needs to be looked at more carefully,” he told the Guardian.

“We need to ensure that every individual, including the BAME population, are following social distancing instructions.

“We have anecdotal information that it might not be happening in certain BAME groups.”