Northerners, Diabetics Among Most Vulnerable to Virus in U.K.

(Bloomberg) --

People in the North of England and diabetics are far more likely to die from coronavirus, data compiled by the U.K. national health service show.

More than a quarter of all fatalities from Covid-19 were people with diabetes, according to the data, which for the first time breaks down deaths by underlying condition. In Northern England, 7,089 people died, nearly double the number of deaths in the South.

The data confirms that those with pre-existing medical conditions and those living in deprived areas, many of which are in the north of England, are most vulnerable to the virus. The government has faced strong criticism over the death rate in care homes during the pandemic, while low-paid workers who are keeping the health system and food supply chain going were among those who suffered from spending cutbacks after the financial crisis.

Separate data from the Office for National Statistics show that more than 27% of care home deaths in England & Wales from March 2 through May 1 were linked to Covid-19.

There were 73,180 deaths in the facilities from Dec. 28 to May 1, more than 23,000 above the same period a year earlier. Just 12,526 of the fatalities mentioned the virus, however, suggesting the true toll from the pandemic may be significantly higher.

• Dementia and Alzheimer disease were linked to 42.5% of all deaths in care homes involving the pandemic
• There was at least one pre-existing condition in 90.4% of deaths involving the virus
• 16% of key workers require public transport to travel to work
• 15% of key workers are at moderate risk from Covid-19 because of a health condition

The median rate at which the infection is spreading, the so-called R-rate, is about 0.75 in England, and just 0.4 in London, according to modeling by Cambridge University and Public Health England.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.