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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Stephanie Convery and Josh Nicholas

‘Disease of disadvantage’: Melbourne’s lower socioeconomic areas suffer most Covid deaths amid Omicron

A Covid testing centre in Dandenong
A Covid testing centre in Dandenong. Data shows Melbourne’s most disadvantaged local government areas, including Greater Dandenong, suffered significantly more per capita virus deaths than more affluent areas in the past three months. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The most disadvantaged areas of Melbourne have been hit hardest by Covid-19 deaths during Victoria’s Omicron wave, further underscoring the pandemic’s disproportionate effect on communities with lower employment and income levels, and poorer access to services.

Data obtained exclusively by Guardian Australia shows that in Melbourne’s most disadvantaged local government areas (LGAs), Covid deaths occurred at a rate of 26 deaths per 100,000 residents. This substantially outweighs deaths in areas of greater socio-economic advantage.

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