LONDON (AP) – Taxi driver Gary Nerden knows colleagues who became seriously ill with COVID-19. He knows the area of East London where he lives and works and has one of the highest infection rates in all of England. But since he can’t afford not to work, he drives around gathering strangers for up to 12 hours a day, relying on a thin plastic screen to keep him safe.
“I have people telling me they won’t wear a mask, saying they’re exempt,” said Nerden, 57. “I have diabetes, I have to take care of myself. I wipe the handles, the seat belt, after each client, but that’s all I can do, really. ”
Nerden and his wife, a hospital administrative worker, live in London’s Redbridge district, which in mid-January had the second highest rate of residents in the country who tested positive for coronavirus: 1,571 cases per 100,000 of people. Official figures estimate that at one time, 1 in 15 people had COVID-19 – even after the government imposed a third national blockade to control a faster and more contagious variant of the virus.
Redbridge and the surrounding areas, which are on a shuttle belt between the north-east of the capital and coastal Essex, have been dubbed the “COVID Triangle” because they have all surpassed the worst infection rates in England in recent weeks. While case rates dropped significantly, local leaders said the situation remained critical and the neighborhood was still “in the eye of the storm.”
They say the large number of essential workers in the area in public jobs, combined with dense housing and high levels of poverty, contributes to the reason why the virus has hit it much harder than in most places in the UK. These factors also make fighting the pandemic there challenging.
“We have some of the best employees here in the community: taxi drivers, NHS (National Health Service) workers, train drivers going to central London, commuter workers, cleaners,” said Redbridge Council leader. Jas Athwal. said.
“People take chances – is it about feeding my children or the risk with COVID? And, of course, they have to feed their children, ”Athwal added. “All this explains the excessive number of viral infections, deaths, because people have to go out to do their job.”
Many of those lower-income workers with high exposure to the virus come from ethnic minority backgrounds, who are among the most at risk, as well as the hardest to convince, to get vaccinated. The population of Redbridge is among the most diverse in the country, with large Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities and less than 40% of residents identify as white British.
Numerous studies have shown that the pandemic causes serious diseases and disproportionate deaths among ethnic minorities and those in poorer households. In the UK, Public Health England found that, after taking into account factors such as age and gender, Bangladeshi people died of COVID-19 at twice the rate of white British people. Blacks and other Asian groups also had a 10% to 50% higher risk of death.
Experts say this is due to a combination of factors. People from minority groups are more likely to live in crowded housing and take poorly ventilated public transport to get to work. They are also more likely to have long-term conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, which increase their risk of becoming seriously ill if they catch the virus.
Khayer Chowdhury, a Redbridge counselor from Bangladesh, said many Asian households in the neighborhood are multigenerational families living together under one roof, giving the virus a greater chance of spreading.
“Our diversity makes us unique, but it also makes us vulnerable,” he said.
Britain has lost more than 100,000 lives to coronavirus, the worst death toll in Europe.
“Here in the community, everyone knows someone who has died,” Athwal said. “Fear is finally starting to hit home.”
Officials say a small but growing number of people are violating restrictions, in part because of fatigue, with blocking rules. Law enforcement officers separated meetings and “car meetings”, closing and fining clubs and restaurants for hosting parties. In a recent week, a large team of police officers patrolled the main shopping street, which was bustling with a steady stream of people, despite the government’s message “stay home”.
But the biggest challenge is on the vaccination front. Several UK studies have suggested that vaccine rates for both coronavirus and other outbreaks among people of color and minorities are significantly lower than those in the general population. Some researchers say this is caused by long-standing distrust of the authorities and disengagement from public health messages and exacerbated by anti-vaccine posts on social networks.
Local resident Salman Khan and his wife said they were not sure they would receive the jab if offered, as the pandemic made them wonder “if the government and the news are telling the truth.”
Dr. Anil Mehta, a local doctor, said that health officials are making every effort to reach the poorest and most inaccessible communities. This week, he is offering vaccines against homeless shelters, hoping to inoculate many refugees in the area and those who sleep hard. He said he also took on the role of “myth-buster”, trying to dispel misinformation and conspiracy theories.
“People believe in all sorts of things – this affects fertility or against Black Lives,” Mehta said. “There is a lot of hesitation, no matter if they want to, if they trust us. This is our battle right now. ”
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