Recent Study Shows More Africans Dying from COVID-19 than White Counterparts in the UK

A recent study conducted in the UK by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), reports that Black Africans living in the UK are 3.5 times likely to die from the coronavirus compared to their White counterparts, according to the BBC. The study also reveals that other minority populations, all of which make up 20 percent of the UK's total population, have had higher death rates from COVID-19 and have generally been more hard-hit by the outbreak than White people living in the UK.

The IFS report paints a startling picture. Deaths among Black people of Caribbean heritage are reportedly 1.7 times higher compared to their White counterparts while deaths among those with Pakistani heritage are 2.7 times higher. The report also cites that minority groups are dying "in excess" numbers at hospitals. Read the full report here.

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is becoming evident that Black people in various parts of the world, are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. African-Americans in the US are also among those at higher risk for COVID-19-related deaths.

What's important to bear in mind is that the higher risk of death among Black people especially, has very little to do with the xenophobic and racist beliefs which have been in the spotlight in China and more to do with the kinds of areas in which Black people generally live, the types of jobs they're generally working and their access to healthcare––all of which are markedly different when compared to their White counterparts.

READ: Africans In China are Being Evicted from Their Homes and Blamed for Spreading Coronavirus

The UK government has now launched an official review following the IFS report and Professor Kevin Fenton, the regional director for London at Public Health England, will reportedly be the lead health professional in the review.