Does place matter? An examination of geographical inequalities in COVID-19 in England Newcastle University

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the perception was that ‘we are all in this together’ and that the virus ‘does not discriminate’. However, government information found that deaths from COVID-19 were almost double in the poorest communities and higher in places with larger black, Asian and minority ethnic populations.

This led to concerns that not everyone experienced COVID-19 in the same way.

In this project, a team from Newcastle University examined what led to these inequalities and how they changed over time, as well as the impact of lockdown and the national vaccination programme. 

The team used information on virus cases and deaths in areas of more and less disadvantage to understand how these are impacted by living and working conditions, housing, employment and access to services and leisure facilities.  The team also examined vaccine uptake by local area.

The research found that more disadvantaged local authority areas had higher COVID-19 death rates in the first wave and saw faster increases. The first national lockdown reduced, but did not remove, these inequalities in death rates.

In terms of case rates, the rates in more disadvantaged areas grew faster and peaked higher than in less deprived areas. During the first national lockdown, the gap in cases between the most and least disadvantaged areas increased.

Analysis of the factors that shaped death rates found that inequalities in transmission (for example over-crowded housing, urban areas) and in vulnerability (for example pre-existing health problems in the community) factors explained more of the gap than other factors. 

The national vaccine programme was found to significantly reduce inequalities in death rates, and it had a similar impact on reducing inequalities in COVID-19 mortality as the lockdowns.

The results have been shared through academic, policy, public (including the COVID-19 Public Inquiry) and media channels, as well as through scientific publications. 

Contact

For more information about this project, please contact Clare Bambra, Professor of Public Health, Newcastle University.