These figures are truly shocking, and have led to the announcement of an official inquiry, to be headed by NHS England and Public Health England, into the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
Such figures also make clear the need for data that is disaggregated – separated out into categories – by protected characteristics such as ethnicity, disability, age and gender.
As the outbreak has progressed, there has been growing recognition of this from the government and in mid-April, Public Health England announced it was to start recording COVID-19 cases and deaths in hospitals by ethnicity.