A new study found that the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in London boasts one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infection in the world, at 64%, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
This number is nine times higher than the average British infection rate, which is about seven percent and is reportedly “among the highest reported anywhere in the world,” found the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London.
An ultra-orthodox man wears a face mask and gloves while walking through London’s Stamford Hill neighborhood during the pandemic
(Photo: Reuters)
The survey used samples from about 15,000 members of the strictly Orthodox Jewish community of 23,000 members in London.
According to the BBC, the study was carried out throughout December, before another wave of infections swept the UK, which means that the current numbers may be even higher.
The reasons behind these surprising numbers remain unclear, the researchers noted. However, Dr. Rosalind Eggo, co-author of the study, said that minority religious and ethnic groups are at increased risk of infection at all stages of the pandemic.
Ultra-orthodox man walking on the street in London
(Photo: Getty Images)
While the higher population density and poverty among the capital’s ultra-Orthodox community may be responsible for part of the excessive morbidity, Jewish men in Britain are still twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as their Christian counterparts. – even after adjusting the socioeconomic factors.
The ultra-Orthodox family average is between five and six individuals, compared to the UK average of 2.3.