Amsterdammers of Turkish, Moroccan or Surinamese descent are almost as likely to have corona antibodies in their blood as Amsterdammers of Dutch descent. This is evident from research into Covid-19 and ethnicity by Amsterdam UMC, the GGD and the Pharos expertise center. It is striking that people of Ghanaian descent much more often have antibodies in the blood.
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International research shows large differences in the burden of disease caused by corona between population groups. Karien Stronks, one of the three professors leading the research, wanted to know whether these differences also exist in the Netherlands. ‘As a starting point for the risk of infection, we measured whether antibodies were present in the blood of approximately 2,500 participants in the existing so-called HELIUS cohort,’ says Stronks.
Five to seven percent antibodies
‘About 25,000 Amsterdammers of Surinamese (mainly Hindustani and Creole), Turkish, Moroccan, Ghanaian and Dutch descent participate in that cohort.’ The research shows that five to seven percent of Amsterdammers of Dutch, Surinam, Turkish or Moroccan descent have antibodies in their blood.
For Amsterdammers with a Ghanaian background, the smallest of the population groups studied, this is on average about 25 percent. How this difference occurs is being investigated. Charles Agyemang, one of the professors leading the research, points out the role of the work environment.
‘People of Ghanaian descent more often than others have a job in cleaning or care, where working from home is not an option,’ says Agyemang. ‘Another possibility is that guidelines about when to get tested do not work or work less well for this group because they often do not experience any symptoms.’
Consultation
The GGD Amsterdam says it is working in close consultation with the Ghanaian community on measures to contain further spread of the virus. Earlier research by the GGD showed that people of Surinamese, Moroccan and Turkish descent were more likely to end up in hospital with corona than people of Dutch descent.
Why this is so is as yet unclear. ‘The disease may be more severe in these groups. We are in the process of investigating this further, ‘says Maria Prins, the third professor who is leading the research.
Noise
Last month there was a stir after Geert Wilders reacted on Twitter to statements by Armand Girbes, head IC of the VUmc. ‘It strikes me that we mainly have patients with a non-Western background, and it is also the case that they do not speak the Dutch language completely,’ Girbes had said in the radio program. Argos.
Wilders responded as follows: “So treatments and operations of Henk and Ingrid with cancer, heart failure or other diseases are being postponed again because the ICs are mainly occupied by Mohammed and Fatima who do not speak our language and do not respect the rules?” Wilders received a lot of criticism, including from the House of Representatives. PvdA leader Lodewijk Asscher described Wilders’ statements as’ racist shit ‘.
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