Covid-19 related morbidity and mortality has disproportionately impacted faith communities in the UK, which makes the lack of data available on faith particularly concerning. For many people in these groups, faith is a central part of their identity and way of life, impacting their health beliefs, and personal, household, and community practices. Religion is a legally protected characteristic in the Equality Act. Furthermore, members of minority religious groups are more likely to be from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, and experience multiple intersecting risk factors simultaneously.
More Muslim doctors have died from Covid-19 than all other religious groups combined, making up over 50% of medical worker deaths. BAME doctors, nurses and carers report that they find it difficult to raise concerns about inadequate access to personal protective equipment and testing or unfair redeployment as they feel pressurized and bullied at work. The government needs to urgently collect and publish data by faith and needs to consider a whole system intersectional approach to fully understand and contextualize risks.
