Death rates from coronavirus in the most deprived parts of England are more than double than in less deprived areas, according to new figures that show London is by far the worst-hit part of the country.
The mortality rate for the most deprived areas for March and early April was 55.1 deaths per 100,000 population compared with 25.3 deaths per 100,000 in the least deprived areas, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The figures show London has the highest mortality rate, with 85.7 deaths per 100,000 persons. This was found to be “statistically significantly higher” than any other region – almost double the next highest rate.
“By mid-April, the region with the highest proportion of deaths involving Covid-19 was London, with the virus being involved in more than 4 in 10 deaths since the start of March,” said Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the ONS.
In contrast, the south west of England saw just over 1 in 10 deaths involving coronavirus, making it the the region with the lowest proportion of coronavirus deaths.
The local authorities with the highest age-standardised mortality rates for deaths involving the coronavirus were all London boroughs with Newham, Brent and Hackney the very worst-hit areas.
Rates were also high in the major cities of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester. A few other local authorities – including Hertsmere, Salford, Watford, Middlesbrough, Luton, Sandwell and Slough – also had rates above 65 deaths per 100,000 people.