THE North-East has the highest infection rate and one of the highest coronavirus death rates in England, according to new figures.

Although the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 is lower than other areas of the country, the death rate of 61 per 100,000 residents is currently the third highest behind London on 66 and the North West and West Midlands both on 66.

The data comes after political leaders in the North of England warned about the loosening of lockdown measures by the Government last week.

A doctor has written an open letter to the Government about health inequalities which put North-East people more at risk from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The region has a higher infection rate than the rest of the country and has seen a disproportionate number of deaths in many areas.

Dr George Rae, North-East regional chairman of the British Medical Association, said: “This is gravely disconcerting.

“Not only does this mean that we’re suffering from a disproportionate amount of serious cases and deaths but also that, as a consequence, gradual lockdown measures may be affected, prolonging the hurt caused to our local economy.

“We need to start asking why this is happening as soon as possible, so that we can tackle the causes head on and prevent a repeat should we experience a second spike or another pandemic in the future.

“As with so many things, the answer is multi-factorial in explanation and we should certainly take into account higher rates of testing in the North-East.

“However, we cannot ignore the significant role that health inequality plays, the preventable, unfair differences in health status between different parts of the UK population and which determine the risk of people getting ill and their ability to prevent sickness.”

Between March 1 and April 17, across England and Wales, there were 36.2 deaths recorded from coronavirus per 100,000 people, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The North-East was praised for its response to the coronavirus crisis and was promised by the Government it would not be left behind when work on rebuilding the economy began. But as a region, the North-East also has the highest rate of infection in the country, with 348.3 cases per 100,000 people.

In Northumberland, the coronavirus rates per 100,000 resident population stands at 280.1. However in neighbouring Gateshead, the rate stands at 481.0.

A report from the Centre for Progressive Policy named Gateshead one of the five most dangerous places in the country for coronavirus, taking into account population health, care quality, and the usual rate of deaths from treatable conditions.

Dr Rae, who practices as a GP in Whitley Bay, said: “The truth is, health issues in the North-East are challenging and we are, on average, unfortunately less healthy than any other parts of England.

“This is not particularly new information. In fact, much of it was made apparent in the Black Report released 40 years ago. What is concerning is how rapidly this health divide is growing.

“Covid-19 has shone a light on the health inequalities in the North-East.

“What we need now is action from the Government to close this gap and reduce the vulnerability of people in the North-East to many medical conditions and, indeed, any future viruses.”