People Living in Deprived Communities Could be the Hidden Victims of the Pandemic.

After weeks of gloom there may be a small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel as the UK passes through the peak of the pandemic. As it does so data from a charity working with vulnerable families and the Office for National Statistics has revealed a shocking disparity in death rates.

The message is as stark as it is simple; if you live in a deprived community your chances of dying from COVID-19 are more than twice that of someone living in a more affluent one.

You are also far more likely to suffer hardship as a result of the pandemic, largely because your life was already blighted by poverty long before the virus arrived in the UK.

The Trussell Trust, the charity which runs the majority of the UK’s food banks, has released figures showing that demand for its services went up by 81% in the first two weeks of the pandemic.

This has been driven by the more that 1.8 million people who have applied for benefits since the beginning of the lockdown, many of whom may need help from their local food bank at some point.

The charity welcomes government interventions including the roll out of the Job Retention Scheme and extra investment in Universal Credit. Despite this, a statement on their website says, ‘there is a limit to the number of people food banks can help and it shouldn’t be left to community charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces’.

The figures on increased food bank use come at the same time as data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows COVID-19 deaths in deprived communities in England are higher than in more affluent ones.

The data covering the period from 1st March to 17th April shows there were 20,283 deaths in England related to the virus, at a rate of 36.2 per 100,000 people.

In deprived areas of England, the death rate was 55.1, compared to 25.3 in more affluent areas. London had the highest mortality rate at 85.7 with the worst hit boroughs being Newham, Brent and Hackney. In deprived areas of Wales death rates were also high at 44.6.

Nick Stripe, head of health at the ONS told Reuters ‘people in more deprived areas have experienced COVID-19 mortality rates more than double those in less deprived areas’.

Speaking to the BBC shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the figures showed that the coronavirus thrives on inequality.

Javed Khan, chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s, also speaking to the BBC, said the ONS figures were ‘worrying, but unfortunately not surprising’. He added that people living in deprived communities were at risk of becoming the ‘forgotten victims of the pandemic, without intervention this crisis will be devastating for a whole generation’.

Jonathan Ashworth told the BBC that ‘ministers must target health inequalities with an overarching strategy to tackle the wider social determinants of ill health’

The Trussell Trust is also calling on the government to take action on poverty and health inequalities as the pandemic shows signs of beginning to recede. They have joined a coalition of other groups including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Child Poverty Action Group and debt charity StepChange to make four key demands.

These are for an increase in the benefits paid to struggling families, and extended suspension of deductions to cover advanced payments to Universal Credit claimants, a lifting of the benefits cap and more support for local authorities as they struggle with a sharp decline in income.

Trussell Trust chief executive Emma Revie said ‘the last few weeks have shown we must come together to protect each other against the unexpected’. Adding ‘we need emergency measures to ensure people can make ends meet during this crisis’.

Alison Garnham of the Child Poverty Action Group said ‘raising the level of benefits for children would be the most effective way of getting support to families quickly’. Adding ‘it is our moral responsibility to make that investment because no child should be reliant on food packages’.

Helen Barnard of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said it was ‘vital that our social security system can act as an anchor in tough times and keep people afloat when they need it most’.

As the pandemic begins, hopefully, to recede it leaves exposed in its wake problems that have been known but ignored during a decade of austerity politics. Being poor is bad for your health and may lead to an early death.

The pandemic has focused minds of priorities rather than peripherals, at least for the short term. It is vital that politicians take this opportunity to address the inequalities that cause harm to the most vulnerable members of our society.