People from minority ethnic backgrounds or with lower incomes are significantly less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine despite being at much greater risk of the disease, research suggests.
Three-quarters (76 per cent) of the British public would take a Covid-19 jab if advised to by their GP or health professional, according to polling for the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).
This fell to 57 per cent of people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who would be likely to, compared with 79 per cent of white respondents.
Confidence was lowest among respondents of Asian ethnicity, with 55 per cent likely to say yes to a jab.
UK survey: Ethnic minorities less likely to take COVID jab
by Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 16, 2020 10:13 am EDT
Last Updated Dec 16, 2020 at 10:14 am EDT
LONDON People from ethnic minority backgrounds or with lower incomes are less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine being rolled out in Britain, research suggested Wednesday, raising concerns about whether the jab would reach the communities that have been hit disproportionately hard by the pandemic.
A survey by Britain’s Royal Society for Public Health said that while three-quarters of those polled would take a COVID-19 vaccine if advised to do so by a doctor, that figure fell to 57% among Black people and those from Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.
People from ethnic minority backgrounds or with lower incomes are less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine being rolled out in Britain, a survey by the Royal Society for Public Health suggests.
The research has raised concerns about whether the jab would reach those communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
The survey showed that while three-quarters of those polled would take a COVID-19 vaccine if advised to do so by a doctor, that figure fell to 57% among black people and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
It also suggested “significantly more hesitancy among lower income groups” with 70% of lowest earners likely to agree to the jab, compared to 84% of highest earners.
Asians reluctant to take COVID-19 vaccine jab: UK study
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Last Updated: Dec 16, 2020, 09:24 PM IST
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Synopsis
As the UK has covered nearly 138,000 people in the first week of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine rollout across the country, the study commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that three in four (76 per cent) of the British public would take a COVID-19 vaccine if advised to do so by their doctor, with just 8 per cent stating they would be very unlikely to do so.
Agencies
The RSPH report highlighted the encouraging finding that BAME respondents who were not willing to be vaccinated were receptive to offers of further health information from their general practitioner (GP).
People from minority ethnic backgrounds or with lower incomes are less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine, research suggests.
Three-quarters (76%) of the British public would take a Covid-19 jab if advised to by their GP or health professional, according to polling for the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).
This fell to 57% of people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who would be likely to, compared with 79% of white respondents.
Confidence was lowest among respondents of Asian ethnicity, with 55% likely to say yes to a jab.
And 70% of the lowest earners were likely to say yes to a vaccine, compared with 84% of the highest earners.