People living in the poorest areas of England and Wales have been twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as those in less deprived areas, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The analysis reveals the disproportionate impact of the death toll in some places, with London boroughs with high levels of socioeconomic deprivation particularly hard hit. The figures covering March to May show that people living in the poorest 10% of England died at a rate of 128.3 per 100,000, compared with a rate of 58.8 per 100,000 among those living in the wealthiest 10% of the country. The pattern was mirrored in Wales, where the equivalent rates were 109.5 deaths compared with 57.5 deaths per 100,000. “General mortality rates are normally higher in more deprived areas, but so far Covid-19 appears to be taking them higher still,” said Nick Stripe, the head of health analysis at the ONS. The analysis showed that London had experienced the worst burden of Covid-19 deaths, and the virus was involved in more than four in 10 deaths since the start of March. By contrast, in the south-west, just over one in 10 deaths involved coronavirus. By May, the north-east had become the area with the highest proportion of deaths linked to Covid-19, with a rate double that of London. Nine out of 10 local authorities with the highest Covid-19 age-standardised mortality rates were in London. Brent had the highest overall age-standardised rate, with 210.9 deaths per 100,000 population, followed by Newham (196.8 deaths) and Hackney (182.9). Sarah Caul, head of mortality analysis at the ONS, said: “Although London had some of the highest Covid-19 mortality rates in the country during March and April, it is now experiencing lower mortality rates compared with most areas. “During May, the region with the highest age-adjusted Covid-19 mortality rate was the north-east, where the rate was double that of London. The south-west region continued to have the lowest mortality rate overall and during each of the last three months. “Meanwhile, people living in more deprived areas have continued to experience Covid-19 mortality rates more than double those living in less deprived areas. General mortality rates are normally higher in more deprived areas, but Covid-19 appears to be increasing this effect.” Prof Nishi Chaturvedi, director of the MRC unit for lifelong health and ageing at UCL, said deprivation increased the impact of Covid-19 through a range of factors, including overcrowding, income, employment, disability and health status. A similar increase in risk had been seen previously in flu outbreaks, and to a lesser degree with chronic diseases. “Deprivation is associated both with exposure to greater viral load, and with enhanced susceptibility to disease as a consequence of poor health,” she said. Critics have previously blamed the impact of austerity for the disproportionate toll Covid-19 had taken on the poorest communities. Dave Innes, head of economics at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Before the pandemic hit, there were signs that our record on tackling poverty and health inequalities was unravelling. Covid-19 has laid bare just how stark those inequalities are. “It is completely unacceptable that someone’s life chances are so profoundly affected by where they live. Today’s statistics must act as a wake-up call. As a society with a strong sense of decency and compassion, we can and must do better.” The ONS, in its weekly snapshot infection survey, found that cases of Covid-19 in the community had continued to fall. The survey, based on testing carried out between 25 May and 7 June, found an estimated 33,000 people infected at any time over that period, compared with 53,000 in the previous week’s figures. The figures excluded infections in hospitals and care homes.