COVID-19 left northern England with higher death rates and longer lockdowns

A recent study has revealed residents in the North of England were more likely to die from Covid-19, spent longer in lockdown and were made poorer than the rest of the country.

The Northern Health Science Alliance commissioned the study to establish the impact of the pandemic on the region.

The report suggests roughly half of the increased mortality rate from Covid-19 in the North was explained by “potentially preventable deprivation and worse pre-pandemic health”.

The report found:

People in the north had a 17% higher mortality rate

Care home mortality was 24% higher in the north

Compared to the rest of England, 10% more hospital beds were occupied by COVID patients

People in the north spent an average of 41 more days in lockdown

Wages fell in the north, while rising in the rest of the country

The unemployment rate in the north was 19% higher than the rest of England

The north had a larger drop in mental wellbeing and a greater rise in antidepressant prescriptions

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “This is an important report and I hope everyone in Westminster and Whitehall will take the time to read it. The long-standing neglect of communities across the North left them more exposed to the pandemic, and those deep-seated inequalities have only got worse over the past 18 months.

“Now that the worst of the pandemic is hopefully behind us, the government needs to recognise the toll COVID has taken here – especially when it comes to its levelling up plans. We are ready to work in partnership with them to make levelling up a reality, but they now need to turn their words into action.

“When ministers come to Manchester for their conference next month they need to demonstrate how they are going to tackle the issues that left the North so vulnerable to the pandemic. We have plans for better jobs, better homes, and London-style public transport, and we need the government to back them.”

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