LONDON: Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups (BAME), including people of Indian descent in the UK, are reluctant to take the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a new study, which urged the British government to launch more campaigns specific.
As the UK has covered close to 138,000 people in the first week of the deployment of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine across the country, the study commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that three out of four (76 %) of the British public would get a vaccine against Covid-19 if their doctor advised it, with only 8% stating that they are unlikely to do so.
However, it found that only 57% of BAME-origin respondents (199 respondents) were likely to accept the vaccine, compared with 79% of white respondents.
Vaccine confidence was found to be the lowest among 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 National Health Service (NHS) and more recently we have seen that messages against vaccination have been specifically targeted at different groups, including different ethnic or religious communities. Christina said. Marriott, chief executive of RSPH.
“But these are exactly the groups that have suffered the most through Covid. They continue to have the highest risk of getting sick and dying. Therefore, the government, the NHS and local public health need to 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, as working and living conditions are believed to be behind the disparity in higher mortality rates among BAME groups.
Comorbidities such as blood pressure, obesity and diabetes are also believed to help make people of South Asian ethnicity more susceptible to serious deadly virus diseases.
“These findings are not surprising in light of past experience on the scope of vaccines in BAME communities, but they appear to be of particular concern, as it suggests that the Covid vaccine may not reach communities that have been disproportionately impacted.” , said Jabeer Butt, executive director of The Race Equality Foundation in the UK, said in reference to the latest survey.
“It is imperative that the NHS use trusted channels, such as BAME-led voluntary organizations, to reach out to the concerns of BAME communities and address them 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 be vaccinated were receptive to their GP’s offers of more health information (GP).
More than a third (35%) said they would probably change their minds and get upset if the GP gave them more information about its effectiveness, almost twice as much as 18% of whites who were not initially white. willing.
The RSHP said the latest findings are based on a study earlier this year that found that parents of minority ethnic groups were nearly three times more likely to reject a Covid-19 vaccine for themselves and their children. than white parents.
Surveys also revealed significantly greater hesitation among lower-income groups, with only 70% of the lowest likely to say yes to the jab, compared to 84% of those who earned more.
Last week, the UK began administering the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine gradually, starting with the elderly and front-line workers as categories with the highest risk of death from coronavirus.
Minister Nadhim Zahawi, in charge of vaccine deployment, tweeted about the release of 137,897 people from the first doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech test between 8 and 15 December.
He described it as a “good start” for the program.
The government wants to offer a vaccine to all over-50s and young adults with diseases, approximately 25 million people.
But the National Audit Office has warned that “complex logistical challenges” remain.
With a number of other vaccines, including the Oxford University vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, underway, the government is ready to get the message across for widespread spike uptake as a means to get out of the current cycle of blockages to control the spread of infections.
The UK regulatory body, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has repeatedly stressed that any vaccine will be phased out for mass implementation only after “rigorous” safety testing despite the process accelerating due to of the urgency of finding an effective pandemic vaccine that has wreaked havoc around the world.
As the UK has covered close to 138,000 people in the first week of the deployment of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine across the country, the study commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that three out of four (76 %) of the British public would get a vaccine against Covid-19 if their doctor advised it, with only 8% stating that they are unlikely to do so.
However, it found that only 57% of BAME-origin respondents (199 respondents) were likely to accept the vaccine, compared with 79% of white respondents.
Vaccine confidence was found to be the lowest among 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 National Health Service (NHS) and more recently we have seen that messages against vaccination have been specifically targeted at different groups, including different ethnic or religious communities. Christina said. Marriott, chief executive of RSPH.
“But these are exactly the groups that have suffered the most through Covid. They continue to have the highest risk of getting sick and dying. Therefore, the government, the NHS and local public health need to 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, as working and living conditions are believed to be behind the disparity in higher mortality rates among BAME groups.
Comorbidities such as blood pressure, obesity and diabetes are also believed to help make people of South Asian ethnicity more susceptible to serious deadly virus diseases.
“These findings are not surprising in light of past experience on the scope of vaccines in BAME communities, but they appear to be of particular concern, as it suggests that the Covid vaccine may not reach communities that have been disproportionately impacted.” , said Jabeer Butt, executive director of The Race Equality Foundation in the UK, said in reference to the latest survey.
“It is imperative that the NHS use trusted channels, such as BAME-led voluntary organizations, to reach out to the concerns of BAME communities and address them 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 be vaccinated were receptive to their GP’s offers of more health information (GP).
More than a third (35%) said they would probably change their minds and get upset if the GP gave them more information about its effectiveness, almost twice as much as 18% of whites who were not initially white. willing.
The RSHP said the latest findings are based on a study earlier this year that found that parents of minority ethnic groups were nearly three times more likely to reject a Covid-19 vaccine for themselves and their children. than white parents.
Surveys also revealed significantly greater hesitation among lower-income groups, with only 70% of the lowest likely to say yes to the jab, compared to 84% of those who earned more.
Last week, the UK began administering the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine gradually, starting with the elderly and front-line workers as categories with the highest risk of death from coronavirus.
Minister Nadhim Zahawi, in charge of vaccine deployment, tweeted about the release of 137,897 people from the first doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech test between 8 and 15 December.
He described it as a “good start” for the program.
The government wants to offer a vaccine to all over-50s and young adults with diseases, approximately 25 million people.
But the National Audit Office has warned that “complex logistical challenges” remain.
With a number of other vaccines, including the Oxford University vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, underway, the government is ready to get the message across for widespread spike uptake as a means to get out of the current cycle of blockages to control the spread of infections.
The UK regulatory body, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has repeatedly stressed that any vaccine will be phased out for mass implementation only after “rigorous” safety testing despite the process accelerating due to of the urgency of finding an effective pandemic vaccine that has wreaked havoc around the world.