We all focus on the obvious risk factors that predict who will and who won’t die of severe COVID-19, but the one that needs a deep think is deprivation the main social determinant of health. The latest data that has just been released from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) is a grim reminder that survival during COVID-19 is not only dependent on physical factors but social factors as well. In reality, the physical and the social are inseparable from each other because they depend on each other, for example, living in a poor area often means poor access to outdoor areas that promote physical activity. If you are interested in reading more on this I would suggest reading Micheal Marmot’s book ‘The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World‘.
I work at the Royal London Hospital, where our local patch consists of three boroughs Whitechapel, Hackney and Newham. It was quite alarming that Newham had the highest age-standardised COVID-19 rate with 144.3 deaths per 100,000 population followed by Brent with a rate of 141.5 deaths per 100,000 population and Hackney was third with a rate of 127.4 deaths per 100,000 population.
The following are the headline figures from the ONS:
- Between 1 March and 17 April 2020, there were 90,232 deaths occurring in England and Wales that were registered by 18 April; 20,283 of these deaths involved the coronavirus (COVID-19).
- When adjusting for size and age structure of the population, there were 36.2 deaths involving COVID-19 per 100,000 people in England and Wales.
- London had the highest age-standardised mortality rate with 85.7 deaths per 100,000 persons involving COVID-19; this was statistically significantly higher than any other region and almost double the next highest rate.
- The local authorities with the highest age-standardised mortality rates for deaths involving COVID-19 were all London Boroughs; Newham had the highest age-standardised rate with 144.3 deaths per 100,000 population followed by Brent with a rate of 141.5 deaths per 100,000 population and Hackney with a rate of 127.4 deaths per 100,000 population.
- The age-standardised mortality rate of deaths involving COVID-19 in the most deprived areas of England was 55.1 deaths per 100,000 population compared with 25.3 deaths per 100,000 population in the least deprived areas
- In Wales, the most deprived areas had a mortality rate for deaths involving COVID-19 of 44.6 deaths per 100,000 population, almost twice as high as the least deprived area of 23.2 deaths per 100,000 population.
On average the most deprived areas of the country had more than double the death rate than people in the least deprived areas. In the MS Academy webinar on Wednesday on ‘Preparing to get COVID-19’, I said there was nothing you could do about poverty or your level of deprivation in the short term, but maybe this is the wrong attitude to have. Although inequality is political and something the government needs to challenge with legislation there are lots of things we as individuals can do to tackle the problem.
To tackle inequality and its effect we need to start locally. Be mindful of its presence and how it impacts on health. Try to invest in local community projects and make everyone feel part of a community. It is remarkable to see how this is happening on such a large scale across the country in response to COVID-19. We need to make sure it continues post-COVID-19. We now realise the value of community that goes beyond the GDP of the country. Community and looking after each other and the health benefits of doing so are much more valuable than GDP.
As part of our ‘Raising the Bar‘ initiative, I am co-leading the workstream with Dr Helen Ford (Leeds) on the Social Determinants of Health and how they impact on the treatment and outcomes for pwMS. Our motto is that ‘no patient with MS should be left behind’. We have some interesting ideas that we are exploring with the wider MS community and would appreciate any input and help from you. The one that worries me the most at the moment is food security. We know that many pwMS in the UK are poor and many have problems paying for food and that the COVID-19 epidemic has exacerbated this. So if you know someone in your community with MS who is vulnerable please drop them a line and simply ask is there anything you can do to help. A friendly voice or helping with a food parcel delivery from the local food bank may be all that is required.
We have a grant application being processed at the moment to try and get an online platform set-up to help pwMS, who are part of Barts-MS, connect in a meaningful and helpful way. When I look at the statistics of COVID-19 from our local Burroughs we need this to happen sooner rather than later.
When the dust settles post-COVID-19 I suspect that high-income countries with the greatest inequality will have the highest per capita death rates. At the moment it looks like the US and the UK are heading for the top of the leaderboard and it comes as no surprise that the US and UK have relatively high Gini* indices compared to other high-income countries.
Some pundits argue that the relatively poor response of the UK and US to COVID-19 has more do with our slow response and preparation, despite knowing that a SARS pandemic was likely in the near future. Others argue is that it relates to our partisan political systems and that other democratic system, for example in most of Europe, make for less combative politics and a more common-sense consensus that is responsive to the needs of the people rather than vested interest groups. Whatever the reason or reasons for the lacklustre response of the UK compared to other European countries to COVID-19 we are going to have to make sure we become a more compassionate society post-COVID-19 and aspire to be a more inclusive society. Do you agree?
* The Gini index or coefficient is a measure of the income or wealth distribution of a nation’s people and is the most commonly used measurement of inequality. A Gini index of zero is perfect equality where everyone has the same income. A Gini index of one (or 100%) represents maximal inequality where only one person has all the income or consumption, and all others have none.
CoI: none