Covid deaths 25% higher in Greater Manchester led to 'jaw-dropping' fall in life expectancy
People wearing a face mask walk near a mural of a nurse in the Northern Quarter of Manchester.
Martin Rickett
A 25% higher Covid-19 mortality rate in Greater Manchester has led to a "jaw-dropping" fall in life expectancy in the region, a new report has found.
The figures were collected in the 13 months up to March 2021 during the pandemic, which led to a larger decline in life expectancy across the North West of England, compared to the national average.
It fell by 1.6 years for men and 1.2 years for women in the North West compared to 1.3 years and 0.9 years respectively in England over 2020.
A woman wearing a face mask walks through Manchester in October 2020. Greater Manchester was placed under stricter lockdown conditions late last year due to a rise of Covid-19 cases in the region.
Martin Rickett
Sir Michael Marmot, professor of epidemiology at University College London (UCL), warned that Britons could lose faith in the government if it does not "level up" as it has promised.
He said: “I’d like to think what we are doing in Greater Manchester will be very important for Greater Manchester, but will also potentially provide a blueprint for the rest oaf the country.
“If we are serious about levelling up, this is the way to do it. And if the Government doesn’t get active, what they’ll find is that local governments all around the country are doing it.
“The time to do it is now, the reason for doing it is to create greater equity of health and wellbeing.”
The recommendations include more support for children and young people, rebalancing spending to focus more on prevention, more local power and control, and developing equity targets to monitor progress.
Prof Marmot said it has been “really inspiring” to work with colleagues from Greater Manchester for the new review.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham speaking to the media outside Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, following last-ditch talks with the Prime Minister aimed at securing additional financial support for his consent on new coronavirus restrictions in October 2020.
Jacob King
He said: “I didn’t get the sense that people were looking at this saying: ‘It’s too awful, there’s nothing we can do about it.’
"They say: ‘We want to make Greater Manchester the best place for children to grow up and for people to flourish.’
“But they can’t do it without Government funding as well. The resources are vitally important. “So in a way we are saying if the Government’s serious about levelling up, this is what needs to happen.
“You need to have city regions like Greater Manchester wanting to take their own destiny into their hands and create a better environment for everyone to live in, but it does need central Government funding as well.”
- If you live in Greater Manchester, we want to hear from you. Why has the region suffered more than the country nationally? What can be done to help get the region back on track? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.