Chapter 3: The direct impact of COVID-19 in Gateshead
Disproportionate impact of Covid
Age
The first wave was characterised by a slightly older age profile with almost 50% of cases in those aged 60+. In Wave 2, approximately 75% of cases were evenly spread over the working age population (Gov.Uk, 2021). (Gov.uk (2021) Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK GOV.UK Coronavirus data, people vaccinated (opens new window))
This may reflect the limited community testing available at the beginning of the pandemic. The age profile of Queen Elizabeth Hospital inpatients differed over the course of the year, with the first wave characterised by an older inpatient profile (79% of cases aged 65 and over). The second wave had a slightly younger profile with just 65% of cases aged 65 and over.
Ethnicity
Mortality from Covid-19 was also higher in some ethnic groups. Evidence from the ONS, ONS deaths due to Covid (opens new window), suggests during the period 24 January 2020 - 31st March 2021, after only adjusting for age, people from all ethnic groups, with the exception of Chinese and White Other, had at least a 25% increased risk of death when compared to people from White British backgrounds.
People from a Bangladeshi background were around four times as likely to die from Covid-19 than White British ethnicities. After adjusting for age, measures of disadvantage, occupation, living arrangements and pre-existing health conditions, men from Bangladeshi and Black African ethnicities were still almost twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than men from White British ethnicities.
Deprivation
The majority of Gateshead residents (approx. 60%) live in the 30% most deprived Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs - a small geographic area of between 2000-6000 households). Covid-19 deaths data from the ONS mapped to MSOA level reveals that over the course of March 2020 to April 2021, 62% of deaths were in these communities.
Although there were local nuances to the way different communities were affected at different stages of the pandemic, typically poorer outcomes were seen in the most deprived areas (ONS, 2021). (ONS (2021) Deaths due to COVID-19 - Interactive map.ONS deaths due to Covid - interactive map (opens new window))