The impact of COVID-19 on different population subgroups: ethnic, gender and age-related disadvantage

Against a background of stalling UK life expectancy, the COVID-19 pandemic is a major crisis for public health with impacts differing markedly by ethnicity, gender, and age. Direct health impacts include mortality and long-term harms among survivors. Social disruption and lockdown measures arising from uncontrolled infection have destabilised healthcare and other essential services. The economic crisis resulting from the pandemic is already triggering job losses, which will in turn have their own adverse health effects.