"Social and territorial inequalities [...] have been exacerbated" with the epidemic of coronavirus, already warned Jacques Toubon, the defender of rights, in his annual report on June 8. In France, do we have the same chances of survival against the coronavirus whether we are from immigration or not? A study published on Tuesday by INSEE reveals that, at the height of the health crisis in March-April, the death rate of people born abroad was much higher than that of people born in France.
What does this study say?
France recorded a 25% increase in deaths (all causes combined) during the epidemic, compared to the same period last year. However, depending on the country of birth, large disparities appear. Thus, the deaths of people born abroad increased by 48% during confinement, compared to the same period in 2019, against 22% for the deaths of inhabitants born in France, according to figures from INSEE.
The rise in Covid deaths is greatest among people from Africa. INSEE records 8,300 deaths of inhabitants born in the Maghreb countries in March-April 2020 compared to 5,400 in 2019, and 2,000 deaths against 900 for those born in another country of the African continent. Concerning people from Asia, 1,600 deaths have been recorded, against 800 in 2019.
Which cities are most affected?
At the head of the communes having recorded a strong increase in the deaths of foreigners of origin during the pandemic, we find Créteil. Deaths there increased by + 113% for these populations, against + 35% for French people of origin. The prefecture of Val-de-Marne is closely followed by Gonesse in Val-d'Oise, then by the 18th arrondissement of Paris, by Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) and finally by Le Kremlin-Bicêtre (Val -de-Marne). Note that these municipalities and districts have a hospital center.
Why such disparities?
"The increase in the number of deaths during the pandemic period was much stronger in the most densely populated territories […] However, people born in Africa and Asia live about twice as often in this type of territory", explain the study authors.
But within these geographic zones, not everyone is housed in the same boat. The increase in deaths was much more marked for those born abroad than for those born in France. The study identifies two main factors to explain this phenomenon.
First, residents born in sub-Saharan Africa and to a lesser extent people from the Maghreb live in smaller dwellings on average (1.3 and 1.6 rooms per occupant respectively, compared to 1.8 for the entire population ). "It is also in these districts that the confinement instructions are poorly supported, that they have not always been respected," said François Dubet, sociologist at the University of Bordeaux. However, in certain departments such as Seine-Saint-Denis, where some expected confinement to be less respected, this was not always the case, even if sometimes a relaxation could be observed.
But also, 14% of workers born in another Maghreb country and 15% of those born in another African country, are "key workers" (health workers, carers, paramedics, police, delivery people, agents of cleaning). These "key workers" often continued to work during containment. "This is not a world where you can easily start teleworking," reacts sociologist François Dubet.
Finally, these people from Africa, the Maghreb and Asia, usually use public transport more to go to work. They are respectively 49%, 28% and 31% against 15% for people born in France in 2016, according to figures from INSEE.
What about abroad?
Similar studies have appeared in the United States and the United Kingdom. On the other side of the Atlantic, studies published by the APM Research Lab show that the mortality rate due to Covid is 2.3 times higher in black American men than in white and Asian men.
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In the United Kingdom, an analysis by the Office for National Statistics reveals that this mortality is 3.3 times higher for black men than for whites and 2.4 times higher for black women than for white women. Same observation for the British of Indian origin, with a death rate 1.6 times higher than for the whites. Finally, studies by the London-based Institute of Fiscal Studies show that coronavirus deaths among the Caribbean population are three times higher than those of white Britons.