Coronavirus deaths in Shropshire and Mid Wales ‘lower than more deprived areas’
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People living in Shropshire and Mid Wales are at a lower risk of dying from coronavirus than other parts of the Midlands, new analysis shows.
It came as wider analysis of mortality rates in England showed those living in more deprived areas faced a greater risk than those in affluent areas.
When examining the impact of living standards on the Covid-19 mortality rates, the Office of National Statistics found that in England the rate in the most deprived areas was 118 per cent higher than in the least deprived areas.
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This is greater than the difference in the mortality rate for all deaths, which is 88 per cent higher in the least deprived areas.
For those deaths involving Covid-19 that took place between March 1 and April 17, the mortality rate in the most deprived areas was 55.1 deaths per 100,000 population in England.
By contrast, the rate was 25.3 deaths per 100,000 in the least deprived areas.
Table: Take a look at your area here
Mortality rates were 15 in Shropshire per 100,000 of the population while it slight rose to 17 in Powys.
This contrasts with the average across the West Midlands which was 43.2, second only to London which had 85.7 deaths per 100,000 population.
The ONS analysis also shows the Covid-19 mortality rate in the most deprived areas of England has been higher among men (76.7 deaths per 100,000 population) than women (39.6).
Nick Stripe, ONS head of health analysis, said: "General mortality rates are normally higher in more deprived areas, but so far Covid-19 appears to be taking them higher still."
The ONS has analysed details of the 20,283 deaths that occurred in England and Wales between March 1 and April 17, and which were registered by April 18, where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate as the underlying cause of death or a contributory factor.
The ONS has also created a table showing the number of deaths in postcode areas, including coronavirus, allowing people to enter their details to discover more.
Table: Discover the number of deaths involving COVID-19 in your area
In Wales, where levels of deprivation are measured differently to England, the ONS found that the most deprived fifth of areas had a Covid-19 mortality rate of 44.6 deaths per 100,000 population.
This is almost twice as high as the rate for the least deprived areas (23.2 deaths per 100,000).
The Covid-19 mortality rate for men in the most deprived fifth areas of Wales was 61.9 deaths per 100,000 population, compared with 32.0 for women.
