While black and minority ethnic people make up only 14% of the UK’s population, they account for 35% of all coronavirus patients in intensive care

An official inquiry is being launched to investigate why people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds appear to be disproportionately affected by coronavirus.

Early figures on the incidence of Covid-19 showed 35% of almost 2,000 patients in intensive care units were black or from another minority ethnic backgrounds, despite BAME people making up only 14% of the population, according to the last census.

The official data on total cases and deaths has not yet been broken down by ethnicity, but concerns were raised over the fact that the first 12 doctors who died after contracting the virus – and the only ones known to have lost their lives so far – were all non-white.

Data on BAME deaths from Covid-19 must be published, politicians warn Read more

A Guardian analysis found that of the 53 NHS staff who have died in the pandemic so far, 68% are BAME. While the proportion of people from a minority ethnic background is higher in the NHS – 20%, rising to 44% for medical staff – the respective mortality rate is again out of kilter.

The government has been under pressure to launch an inquiry after the head of the British Medical Association, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, gave an interview with the Guardian last week calling for an investigation. He said: “At face value, it seems hard to see how this can be random.”

Many possible causes have been suggested, including existing health inequalities, such as higher levels of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease among the BAME population. BAME families are also more likely to live in more crowded, multigenerational households than their white counterparts, increasing individuals’ risk of exposure. Thirty per cent of the UK Bangladeshi population are considered to live in overcrowded housing, compared with 2% among the white British population. Fifteen per cent of black African people live in crowded conditions, as do 16% of Pakistanis.

Play Video 4:59 Who is most at risk from coronavirus and why? – video explainer

A disproportionate amount of key workers, who are not working from home, including bus drivers are also believed to be BAME. Some have suggested that deficiency in vitamin D, which is more prevalent in minority ethnic groups, could be a factor.

Downing Street said NHS England and Public Health England would be leading on the inquiry. No further details have been provided as to the scope or timeframe of the inquiry.

London, which has the most diverse population in the UK in both absolute and percentage terms, has had the highest number of coronavirus deaths. The West Midlands, with the second most diverse population, has been another hotspot for coronavirus deaths, with Birmingham recording the most cases after London.