This is incredibly worrying. And I do not understand it. Nobody does. We can speculate, but proper research is essential. https://twitter.com/helenamckeown/status/1248836248774590466

So let's speculate.
Being BAME is associated with deprivation. Deprivation is independently associated with poorer health. So the excess of Covid-19 in BAME could be confounding. Statistical regression might help unpick this.

Deprivation is also associated with doing the sort of work that inevitably brings you into contact with people, some of whom will be infectious. No safe working-from-home for cleaners, bus drivers, or carers.

But why the excess of BAME in deaths of doctors? Are BAME doctors that different? In what ways? Is there a biological difference? Higher rates of hypertension and CVD? Something to do with ACE receptors?

I'd want to rule out socio-economic factors first; but biological differences are not entirely implausible.

I'm nervous about exploring biological explanations because apparently plausible but wrong biological differences have so often been used to justify racism.

Where is @AdamRutherford when you need him?!

@helenamckeown

Can the likes of @AdamRutherford provide insights that might help us explore the excess of Covid-19 in BAME? https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/195353/bigotry-shifts-axis-according-prevailing-culture/

To reiterate what I said at the top of this thread - I have been speculating, outside my area of expertise.

People with the right expertise need to brainstorm hypotheses, and then we can think about how they can be tested.

@threadreaderapp unroll