Six in 10 health worker deaths from coronavirus are BAME

New analysis has found that the number of healthcare workers who have died due to coronavirus has reached 200, with more than six in 10 of the victims from BAME backgrounds.

Guardian analysis looking at staff in hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes and other settings found that 122 of the dead, or 61 per cent of the total, were from an ethnic minority background. Of the staff whose backgrounds could be identified, Asian workers accounted for 34 per cent of the overall death toll, black staff 24 per cent and white workers 36 per cent, while the rest were unknown.

The findings from the Guardian compliment a study of early coronavirus deaths by the Health Service Journal, which found that 63 per cent of the first 106 deaths of NHS staff were BAME. Recent figures suggest that one in five staff working for the NHS are BAME.

Dr Rinesh Parmar, the chair of the Doctors’ Association UK, said: “We’re deeply saddened to hear that 200 colleagues working across the NHS and social care have now lost their lives to Covid-19. Each and every single one made a tremendous contribution.

“It is disturbing and troubling however to see that 60% come from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, indicating once again that urgent action is required to protect frontline BAME staff. We eagerly await the findings of the BAME Covid-19 review by Professor Kevin Fenton but know that steps need to be taken now to safeguard colleagues. As we step ever closer to easing lockdown measures, staff need to be risk assessed and provided with appropriate protective equipment and testing.”