North East England worst affected by Covid-19 last month, official figures show

The North East had the worst mortality rate of any of the English regions last month while London had one of the lowest.

Commenting on the figures, the elected Tees Valley Mayor said the North East was between four and six weeks behind the capital in its coronavirus cycle.

The leader of Sunderland City Council said people in deprived areas were more likely to die than those in more affluent areas and that tackling inequality would benefit health.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed there were an estimated 33.1 deaths involving Covid-19 per 100,000 population in North East England across May, compared with 15.7 per 100,000 in London.

Sarah Caul, head of mortality analysis at the ONS, said: "During May, the region with the highest age-adjusted Covid-19 mortality rate was the North East, where the rate was double that of London.

"Meanwhile, people living in more deprived areas have continued to experience Covid-19 mortality rates more than double those living in less deprived areas.

"General mortality rates are normally higher in more deprived areas, but Covid-19 appears to be increasing this effect."

Outside London, Middlesbrough had the highest mortality rate from March 1 to May 31.

Tory Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: "Every death from coronavirus is one too many and it is tragic for those families who have lost friends and loved ones, and my thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by this awful virus.

"It is important to note that the expert advice is that the North East is four to six weeks behind London when it comes to peak number of cases.

"As the ONS findings highlight, between March and May, London had the highest age-standardised mortality rate and was significantly higher than any other region in England.

"On the ground, the North East is now seeing the number of cases and deaths from coronavirus fall significantly.

"There has been a phenomenal national effort to win the battle against the coronavirus and we are winning. Deaths are coming down in the North East and I hope we see that trend continuing over the coming days and weeks."

Labour Sunderland City Council leader councillor Graeme Miller said: "Everyone across the city is very aware of the clear evidence that Covid has had a big and tragic impact on our city.

"The statistics all indicate that more deprived areas of England and Wales with higher proportions of people with long-term medical conditions, low incomes, elderly or vulnerable are more likely to die than those of more affluent areas.

"These are the stark facts behind what's been happening in our city, in the North East region and other less well-off parts of the country.

"Reducing inequality and poverty will help make our city healthier."

Labour's elected North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll said: "We've always known that how much money you have affects your lifespan. Covid-19 has brought this into sharp relief. We've had chronic underinvestment in the North East for decades.

"There's a 17-year difference in healthy lifespan between rich areas and poor areas.

"This will only change when English regions get to make their own decisions. If we get the budgets, we can invest in prevention – tackling obesity, poor housing, and stressful insecure employment that cause poor health.

"If we invest to save, it improves lives, and will save us all money in the long run.

"If the Government is serious about wanting to level-up, they'll include this in the devolution white paper later this year."