National Statistical

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in England, people in some ethnic groups, particularly Black and Asian groups, were more likely to be infected, diagnosed and die with COVID-19 than people in the White group. The reasons for this are complex and recent reports by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and the Race Disparity Unit summarise the available evidence to date on reasons for the inequalities reported. It is critical that we understand the reasons in order that we can take steps to protect people from across the population. With so much analysis published, it can be difficult to keep up to date with what it shows. Here Chris White (Office for National Statistics) and Justine Fitzpatrick (Public Health England) summarise the latest reports.