The UK s covid vaccination campaign is powering ahead but a lower take-up among the black and minority ethnic community has prompted faith leaders to launch a campaign to dispel fear and mistrust.
Last month the government s scientific advisory group reported that vaccine hesitancy is highest amongst black Britons, with 72% stating they were unlikely or very unlikely to get the jab.
One medical centre in Stoke-on-Trent said the proportion of people not attending vaccine clinics when invited was ten times higher among BAME people than the average.
“We’ve had around 20-30% DNAs [did not attend] among the BAME community, compared to 2-3% in other groups,” Dr Lenin Vellaturi told GPonline.
In Birmingham, 50 per cent of people living in areas with high populations of Asian and African-Caribbean people turned down the vaccine when offered it.
GPs urged to use influence to dispel COVID-19 vaccine myths and boost BAME uptake
GPs have been encouraged to use their ‘huge influence’ to bust misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccination and boost uptake among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.
by Luke Haynes
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