Asians, ethnic minorities reluctant to take COVID-19 vaccine jab: UK study
Confidence in vaccines was found to be lowest among respondents of Asian ethnicity, of whom only 55 per cent were likely to say yes, the study says.
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A nurse holds a phial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy s Hospital in London. (Photo | AP) By PTI
LONDON: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, including people of Indian-origin in the UK, are reluctant to take the vaccine against COVID-19, a new study said on Wednesday, urging the UK government to initiate more targeted campaigns.
Last modified on Wed 16 Dec 2020 23.37 EST
Three-quarters (76%) of the 2,076 UK adults polled said they would take a Covid jab if advised to by their GP or another health professional, but among respondents from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds the proportion fell to 57%. For white respondents the figure was 79%.
However, among BAME respondents who were not willing to be vaccinated, 35% said they were likely to change their minds and get the jab if their GP gave them more information, compared with 18% of white people who were initially unwilling.
The RSPH chief executive, Christina Marriott, said the results of the polling were highly concerning but unsurprising. “We have known for years that different communities have different levels of satisfaction in the NHS and more recently we have seen anti-vaccination messages have been specifically targeted at different groups, including different ethnic or religious communities,” she said.
Black and minority ethnic people are less likely to take COVID vaccine The NHS must use trusted channels like BAME-led voluntary organisations to reach and address concerns of BAME communities, said the Race Equality Foundation
BLACK AND minority ethnic people are less likely to accept a COVID-19 vaccine, polling by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has shown.
The research, which was published earlier today, showed that only 57% of BAME respondents were likely to accept the vaccine, compared with 79% of White respondents.
On average, it was found that 76% of the UK public would take the vaccine if advised to do so by their GP or health professional, with only 8% stating they would be very unlikely to do so.
Asians Reluctant to Take Vaccine Against Covid-19, Says UK Study
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Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, including people of Indian-origin in the UK, are reluctant to take the vaccine against COVID-19, a new study said on Wednesday, urging the UK government to initiate more targeted campaigns. 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.
Ethnic minorities are the least likely group to get the coronavirus vaccine because of anti-vaxx fears, research by the Royal Society of Public Health has shown.
Charities have warned that these findings show the real risk that the vaccine will not reach the people who are the most vulnerable to coronavirus.
In a survey it found that only 57 per cent of BAME respondents were likely to accept a Covid-19 vaccine, compared to 79 per cent of those who are white.
The research also found that Londoners were the most likely to refuse the vaccine of anywhere in the UK, with 14 per cent of people in the capital saying they are “very unlikely” to get the jab.