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Millions vaccinated and rapid progress – The UK vaccination program has been a success so far. But there are also disadvantages: the reasons are social problems. The royal family wants to help.
The numbers sound pretty impressive. Almost one in three adults in Britain has already received a first Corona vaccine, hundreds of thousands are added every day, the number of new infections is steadily decreasing. With national pride, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and members of his cabinet announce new developments every day. And yet there is a sour note to the jubilation. Because the vaccination campaign, which has been going on for a good two months, is obviously not reaching everyone in Britain: Blacks, Asians and other ethnic minorities are significantly less willing to take up the protective sword.
The concerns are great. “If a group is not vaccinated, the virus will track it down and wreak havoc like a forest fire,” Secretary of State Nadhim Zahawi warned recently. Government advisers believe that one of the reasons for the reluctance is social media. The head of the NHS national health service, Steven Simons, spoke of a “disinformation pandemic.” False reports and conspiracy theories are spread through courier services – that vaccination affects fertility, or that a stay tracker is hidden on average.
Distrust in government agencies
These messages get caught up in the socially disadvantaged in particular, and this includes many blacks, Asians, and members of other minorities, abbreviated as BAME (black, Asian and ethnic minority). But that’s only part of the story. In the group, in general, there is great mistrust of government agencies.
Doctor Azeem Majeed, from Imperial College London, confirms: “There is a lot of suspicion about vaccines among blacks.” In the London borough of Croydon, for example, many black patients would refuse to be vaccinated, he explains in an interview with the German press agency. The Royal College of General Practitioners Association of General Practitioners is also concerned about the relatively low participation – and willingness – of minorities. Majeed emphasizes: “This is a big problem, especially since members of these communities are at a higher risk of dying from Covid.”
Many live in poverty
Cambridge University sociologist Ali Meghji highlights the difficult social conditions in which many BAME members live. “Although they live in smaller properties on average than white Britons, they are twice as likely to live with four or more people in a household,” Meghji says. “Almost half of black or Pakistani children live in poverty and more than half of Bangladeshi children.”
Studies have shown that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in the UK have an “alarmingly” higher risk of dying from or from Covid-19. Because the people of these South Asian countries most often lived in disadvantaged areas and in large multi-generational households. The virus can spread much faster in confined spaces. In addition, they work much more frequently in professions where there is a higher risk of corona, such as taxi drivers, kiosk salesmen or shop owners.
Prince Charles promotes vaccines
The concerns have also reached the royal family. On (today) Thursday (11.30am), the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, wants to announce the vaccination in a video message to the business association British Asian Trust. He was saddened to hear that for many people the challenges of the “different acceptance” of vaccines would be even more difficult, he said beforehand.
But experts emphasize that the government is partly responsible for the slow acceptance. “She did not want to address the issue of ethnic inequality in relation to Covid-19,” complains sociologist James Nazroo of the University of Manchester. Rather, the government ignored this question. Demand that the government reconsider its priorities.
Vaccination in older people is progressing well
Until now, authorities, in addition to front-line medical and nursing staff, have strictly followed age when vaccinating. Quite successful, because the overwhelming proportion of those over 75 have already received their first dose. However, the proportion of BAME members in this age group is low.
“Members of ethnic minorities age biologically faster due to the social and economic inequalities they face,” said Nazroo of the dpa. “This means that these endangered people are not included in the current prioritization.” Rather, the sociologist demands that, when distributing the vaccine, socially disadvantaged areas be considered in a more specific way.
The UK wants to offer every adult in the country a coronavirus vaccine by the end of July. “We want to offer all adults a vaccine by the end of July, this will help us protect the most vulnerable and be able to relax restrictions more quickly,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday after a government statement. So far, more than 17 million people in the UK have received a first corona vaccination, almost one in three adults.
Dpa news agency
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