Dense housing has helped spread Covid-19 in England and may have increased the number of deaths, according to a study by the Health Foundation.
People living in confined conditions have been more exposed to the coronavirus and were less able to reduce the risk of infection because their homes were so small, the thinktank found. Overcrowding was a major cause of the pandemic disproportionately affecting the poor and people from ethnic minorities, he said.
Health Foundation researchers also concluded that overcrowding, along with other housing problems such as damp and insecure infections, has led to an increase in physical and mental health illnesses.
“Since March many of us have spent a lot more time at home. For many, the quality of their home has made the experience of pandemic even worse than it needs to be, ”said Adam Tinson, co-author of the study and senior analyst at the thinktank.
“While some are locked down in large homes with ample gardens and accommodation, others have struggled in a tight and dangerous situation. Too many people are linked to the spread of Covid-19, making loneliness more difficult and allowing the virus to spread through more people if the disease progresses. ”
Data for 2019-20 released earlier this month, just before the pandemic struck in March, showed that 830,000 homes in England were overcrowded, particularly rental properties. . That was 200,000 more than the number in that position ten years earlier.
“People’s housing environments have affected their ability to protect themselves and others from Covid-19. People have been encouraged to live in their homes as much as possible, but indoor transmission has been a major factor in the spread of the virus, ”the analysis says.
“Too many people, who have been on the rise in the years before the pandemic, are making it harder to separate and shield, and it may have contributed to higher mortality rates in Scotland. deprived areas. ”
He said 8% of low-income households lived in overcrowded households, compared to less than 1% of those with the highest incomes.
Similarly, “Minority ethnic households are five times more likely to be overcrowded than white households, reflecting just one of the ways in which existing housing disparities are compounded. pandemic to widen health inequalities. ”
People who have been forced to spend more time in overcrowded homes during various locks this year have caused or exacerbated mental health problems, especially those suffering distress. “Austerity is generally higher for overcrowded homes, and data from the time of the release appear to reflect this intensification during a more severe lockout in April 2020, when 39% of people in overcrowded homes show psychological distress ”, compared to 29% of those who did not have overcrowded homes, the analysis concludes.
“This analysis shows that poor mental health has been a particular issue for those who are in overcrowded homes during the pandemic, especially in the first lock. The severe lack of affordable housing options, coupled with years of reductions in support for housing costs, has brought us to this point, ”said Tinson.
Restrictions on mobility and social mix had also deepened loneliness among those living alone, the report said.
Major changes to housing policy, such as more secure private tenancies, halting cuts to housing benefits and building more social housing, are needed to reduce the impact of poor quality housing on people’s health, says the Health Foundation. praise.