Labour’s Shadow Mayor of the West Midlands, Liam Byrne, is to establish a fact-finding taskforce across the seven boroughs and cities of the West Midlands to uncover the truth surrounding the higher than average Covid19 death rates among minority communities.
Data from the ONS and local authourities in the West Midlands shows that individuals in BAME communities are losing the battle against Covid-19 at a rate much higher than the general public.
Liam said: “Coronavirus is a killer disease which has taken too many lives but the evidence available suggests that you are four times more likely to die from Covid19 if you are black, and if you are from south Asian heritage, you also have a significantly higher risk of dying. There is therefore an urgent need to investigate whether the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities could have been prevented or mitigated and to act on any lessons learned.”
The Covid19 fact-finding taskforce will be co-chaired by Birmingham’s Councillor Paulette Hamilton, Wolverhampton’s Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE and Coventry MP, Taiwo Owatemi. Veteran equalities campaigner, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, will also be supporting the efforts in the region as part of her national role and representatives of the south Asian community are being identified.
Evidence and submissions have been requested from public health officials in each Borough and City as well as CCGs and hospital trusts. Members of the public will also be able to submit testimony of their experiences and virtual hearings will be arranged to hear, firsthand, how members of the BAME community have been affected by Covid19.
Anyone affected by the pandemic can submit their stories to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
