LONDON: Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) groups, including people of Indian origin in the UK, are reluctant to get vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a new study urging the UK government to launch campaigns more specific.
Given that the UK has covered nearly 138,000 people in the first week of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine launch across the country, the study commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that three in four (76%) ) of the British public would take a Covid-19 vaccine if advised by their doctor, and only 8 per cent said they would be highly unlikely to do so.
However, it found that only 57 percent of BAME-origin respondents (199 respondents) would likely accept the vaccine, compared to 79 percent of white respondents.
Confidence in vaccines was found to be lowest among ethnic Asian respondents, of whom only 55 percent were likely to say yes, according to the study.
“We have known for years that different communities have different levels of satisfaction in the NHS (National Health Service) and more recently we have seen that anti-vaccination messages have specifically targeted different groups, including different ethnic or religious communities,” he said. Christina. Marriott, CEO of RSPH.
“But these are exactly the groups that have suffered the most from Covid. They continue to have a higher risk of getting sick and a higher risk of dying. Therefore, the government, the NHS and local public health must work quickly and proactively with these communities. And their most effective ways of working will be with local community groups, “he said.
Previous studies have shown that Covid-19 has a more adverse impact on minority ethnic groups in the UK, and living and working conditions are believed to be largely behind the disparity in higher death rates among the BAME groups.
Comorbidities such as blood pressure, obesity and diabetes are also believed to play a role in making ethnic South Asian people more susceptible to serious illness from the deadly virus.
“These findings are not surprising in light of past experience with the reach of vaccines in BAME communities, but they appear to be particularly concerning, as they suggest that the Covid vaccine may not reach communities that have been affected in such a way. disproportionate, ”Jabeer Butt, CEO of the UK Race Equality Foundation, referring to the latest survey.
“It is imperative that the NHS uses trusted channels such as BAME-led voluntary organizations to reach out and address the concerns of the BAME communities and ensure that the disproportionate impact of Covid is not exacerbated,” he said.
The RSPH report highlighted the encouraging finding that BAME respondents who were unwilling to get vaccinated were receptive to offers of more health information from their GP.
More than a third (35 percent) said they would likely change their minds and take the hit if their GP gave them more information about its effectiveness, nearly double the 18 percent of whites who were initially unwilling.
The RSPH said the latest findings are based on a study earlier this year that found that parents from ethnic minority groups were nearly three times more likely to decline a Covid-19 vaccine for themselves and their children than white parents.
The survey also revealed significantly more hesitancy among the lowest income groups, with only 70 percent of those earning the least likely to say yes to the jab compared to 84 percent of those earning the most.
Last week, the UK began administering the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in a phased manner, starting with the elderly and frontline workers as categories at highest risk of death from coronavirus.
Minister Nadhim Zahawi, who is in charge of launching the vaccine, tweeted that 137,897 people had received their first doses of Pfizer / BioNTech between December 8-15.
He described it as a “very good start” for the show.
The government wants to offer a vaccine to all young adults over 50 with health problems, about 25 million people.
But the National Audit Office warned that “complex logistical challenges” remain.
With a host of other vaccines, including the Oxford University vaccine being produced by AstraZeneca, in the pipeline, the government is eager to spread the message of widespread acceptance of jabs as a means out of the current cycle of lockdowns. to control the spread of infections.
The UK’s regulatory body, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has repeatedly stressed that vaccines will be licensed for mass release only after “rigorous” safety testing despite the process being sped up due to the urgency of finding an effective vaccine against the pandemic that has ravaged the world.
Given that the UK has covered nearly 138,000 people in the first week of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine launch across the country, the study commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that three in four (76%) ) of the British public would take a Covid-19 vaccine if advised by their doctor, and only 8 per cent said they would be highly unlikely to do so.
However, it found that only 57 percent of BAME-origin respondents (199 respondents) would likely accept the vaccine, compared to 79 percent of white respondents.
Confidence in vaccines was found to be lowest among ethnic Asian respondents, of whom only 55 percent were likely to say yes, according to the study.
“We have known for years that different communities have different levels of satisfaction in the NHS (National Health Service) and more recently we have seen that anti-vaccination messages have specifically targeted different groups, including different ethnic or religious communities,” he said. Christina. Marriott, CEO of RSPH.
“But these are exactly the groups that have suffered the most from Covid. They continue to have a higher risk of getting sick and a higher risk of dying. Therefore, the government, the NHS and local public health must work quickly and proactively with these communities. And their most effective ways of working will be with local community groups, “he said.
Previous studies have shown that Covid-19 has a more adverse impact on minority ethnic groups in the UK, and living and working conditions are believed to be largely behind the disparity in higher death rates among the BAME groups.
Comorbidities such as blood pressure, obesity and diabetes are also believed to play a role in making ethnic South Asian people more susceptible to serious illness from the deadly virus.
“These findings are not surprising in light of past experience with the reach of vaccines in BAME communities, but they appear to be particularly concerning, as they suggest that the Covid vaccine may not reach communities that have been affected in such a way. disproportionate, ”Jabeer Butt, CEO of the UK Race Equality Foundation, referring to the latest survey.
“It is imperative that the NHS uses trusted channels such as BAME-led voluntary organizations to reach out and address the concerns of the BAME communities and ensure that the disproportionate impact of Covid is not exacerbated,” he said.
The RSPH report highlighted the encouraging finding that BAME respondents who were unwilling to get vaccinated were receptive to offers of more health information from their GP.
More than a third (35 percent) said they would likely change their minds and take the hit if their GP gave them more information about its effectiveness, nearly double the 18 percent of whites who were initially unwilling.
The RSPH said the latest findings are based on a study earlier this year that found that parents from ethnic minority groups were nearly three times more likely to decline a Covid-19 vaccine for themselves and their children than white parents.
The survey also revealed significantly more hesitancy among the lowest income groups, with only 70 percent of those earning the least likely to say yes to the jab compared to 84 percent of those earning the most.
Last week, the UK began administering the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in a phased manner, starting with the elderly and frontline workers as categories at highest risk of death from coronavirus.
Minister Nadhim Zahawi, who is in charge of launching the vaccine, tweeted that 137,897 people had received their first doses of Pfizer / BioNTech between December 8-15.
He described it as a “very good start” for the show.
The government wants to offer a vaccine to all young adults over 50 with health problems, about 25 million people.
But the National Audit Office warned that “complex logistical challenges” remain.
With a host of other vaccines, including the Oxford University vaccine being produced by AstraZeneca, in the pipeline, the government is eager to spread the message of widespread acceptance of jabs as a means out of the current cycle of lockdowns. to control the spread of infections.
The UK’s regulatory body, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has repeatedly stressed that vaccines will be licensed for mass release only after “rigorous” safety testing despite the process being sped up due to the urgency of finding an effective vaccine against the pandemic that has ravaged the world.
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