BBC Documentaries

Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? (2021x24)

Air date: Mar 02, 2021

At the age of 23, actor David Harewood had a psychotic breakdown, a condition he later discovered was far more likely to affect black men. After the shocking news broke that black, Asian and minority ethnic patients were dying in disproportionate numbers from Covid-19, David felt compelled to discover the reasons why. David starts his journey in Brent, north west London. During the first wave of the pandemic, the borough had the highest Covid-19 mortality rate in the country. It is also one of the UK's most diverse areas, where nearly 65 per cent of the local population are black, Asian or from other minority ethnic groups. He visits Dr Tariq Husain, head of the Intensive Care Unit at the nearby Northwick Park Hospital, who describes the tidal wave of cases that overwhelmed their capacity, five times more than the usual rates of admissions, and the fact that people from minority communities seemed to be the hardest hit. Was this just an isolated incident? To find out, David visits Dr Guddi Singh, a paediatric doctor and health expert, who reveals that what happened in Brent is mirrored across the country. Staggeringly, as a black man, David is nearly three times more likely to die from Covid-19. What is it about being black that puts David at such an increased risk? Dr Singh explains that a big risk factor is the job that you do. Key workers risk their lives, exposing themselves to the virus as they keep the country running. Yet people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to do these jobs. David visits Tamira, whose father was one of the first members of NHS staff to die from Covid-19. She believes not enough was done to protect him at work. A heart-wrenching but all too common story. But why do so many people from minority communities do these frontline jobs? David visits his sister Sandra in Birmingham, where they both grew up. They discuss their parents’ experiences as new migrants to the UK in the 50s, and how your skin