A shift in the odds meant people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage were most at risk during the second wave of the pandemic - but that White British people were more likely to test positive for Covid-19 in wave three.
According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, the infection rate was higher among the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities than any other ethnic group in England between September 2020 and December 2021, as the second wave of the virus was sweeping through the nation.
For every 100,000 people of Bangladeshi origin, around 382 people had tested positive for Covid-19 at that time.
Meanwhile, the infection rate for the Pakistani ethnic group was 373.8. That compared to 267.3 for the Indian ethnic group, 200.2 for the Black African ethnic group, 184.6 for the Black Caribbean ethnic group, and 165.3 for the White British ethnic group.
When researchers calculated the odds of a positive test among different ethnic groups, they found the risk was more than twice as high among people of Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent than it was for the White British majority.
However, the odds were lowest for people from the Chinese ethnic group, who were about half as likely to test positive as White British people.
During the second wave, only about 91 people in every 100,000 of the Chinese ethnic group in England tested positive for coronavirus.
But by the time the third wave of the virus spread across England, after May 2021, there was a marked shift in the odds among different ethnic groups.
Since May last year, the odds of testing positive for Covid-19 have been highest among the White British ethnic group
During the third wave of the virus, for every 100,000 of the White British population, around 360 people tested positive, much higher than any other ethnic group.
That compared to an infection rate of 229.9 for people from the Bangladeshi ethnic group, and 233.1 among the Pakistani ethnic group.
When calculating the odds, people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage were about half as likely as White British people to test positive for coronavirus.
However, when comparing different age groups, older people from the Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups remained at a higher risk from the virus, even during the third wave.
ONS data shows people aged 65 and over from the Bangladeshi ethnic group had a 49% higher chance of testing positive than White British people of the same age; and elderly people of Pakistani descent were 46% more at risk.
Senior statistician Vahé Nafilyan, of the ONS health analysis and life events division, said: “Our analysis of Covid-19 case rates shows how the socio-demographic groups at highest risk of infection have changed over the course of the pandemic.
“We’ve also found that patterns differ by age groups, especially in the third wave. Whilst case rates were lower in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups than in the White British group among people aged below 65, they were notably higher among those aged 65 or over. This may partly explain the continued elevated risk of mortality during the third wave for these groups compared to the White British group.”
Because testing was not widely available at the time, similar data covering the first wave of the virus, from when Covid-19 first arrived in England, is not available.
