In this episode we talk to Professor Simon de Lusignan. He is Professor of Primary Care and Clinical Informatics at the Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences at the University of Oxford. Simon is Director of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC). This is one of Europe's oldest sentinel systems. RCGP RSC has produced a weekly report of influenza, respiratory and other infections in primary care for over 50 years. RCGP RSC works closely with Public Health England (PHE) to report vaccine effectiveness.

Title: Excess mortality in the first COVID pandemic peak: cross-sectional analyses of the impact of age, sex, ethnicity, household size, and long-term conditions in people of known SARS-Cov-2 status in England

Read the paper: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp20X713393

The UK had one of the highest SARS-CoV-2 associated mortality rates, with >42,000 deaths during the first wave of infection. Concerns about excess mortality still exist in care homes and widening social inequality has been suggested as a possible associated factor. Published reports showing disparities in SARS- CoV-2 infection and its impact on ethnic and socioeconomic variables have not included data on household size or clinical risks. Results from this observational cohort study showed living in households of ≥9 occupants was associated with a fivefold increase in relative mortality in the general population. Among people with known SARS-CoV-2 status (clinical or virological diagnosis), male sex, population density, black ethnicity (compared to white), and people with long-term conditions or learning disabilities had a higher odds of mortality. These findings reinforce the importance of the need for risk reduction strategies to reduce ethnic disparities, the impact of large household size, and increased risk associated with long-term conditions and learning disability.