Minorities in UK no longer at much higher risk of dying from Covid

People from minority ethnic backgrounds no longer have a significantly higher risk of death from Covid-19 than white Britons, for the first time in the pandemic.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show rates of deaths involving Covid-19 are now substantially lower for all ethnic groups compared with earlier in the pandemic.

Experts suggest this could be down to changes in exposure to the virus, vaccination, levels of natural immunity, and the severity of Covid variants.

During the first and second wave of the pandemic, between January 2020 and January 2021, minority ethnic groups had a significantly higher Covid-19 mortality rate than white Britons.

During the period of successive lockdowns, people from minority ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be exposed to the virus as they were more likely to be key workers or live in multi-generational households. Covid mortality rates were highest for Bangladeshi, Pakistani, black African, and black Caribbean groups, ONS figures show.

Deaths from Covid decreased by the third and fourth waves, known as the Alpha and Delta waves, but ethnic disparities remained.

Research showed that the Omicron variant caused less severe disease than Delta.