EQUALITIES minister Kemi Badenoch MP and Covid hero Dr Farzana Hussain have issued a joint call for everyone to take the vaccine as the ministry released the third report on Covid-19 disparities which states that vaccine confidence has steadily increased among ethnic minorities.
“We are not complacent and we will continue to tackle dangerous disinformation and work with trusted partners to promote confidence in the vaccine so everyone takes up their jab when they are offered it,” Badenoch said in a statement, adding that vaccines are the key to unlocking a return to normal life, and this government will continue to do everything it can to ensure everyone is confident to take them.
The call comes after the release of the UK government’s third report on Covid-19 disparities, which states that vaccine confidence has seen a steady increase among ethnic minorities. The increase in acceptability can be attributed to flexible vaccine delivery, and targeted communications from government and medical professionals, and partnerships with broadcasters.
The report says that about 93% of adults are reporting positive sentiment towards the vaccine. However, some groups are still less likely to get the jab as 30% of Black or Black British adults reported vaccine hesitancy, the highest compared with all ethnic groups.
“The vaccines are very safe - they have been trialled on hundreds of thousands of volunteers by world-leading scientists, and now millions of doses have been given, just in the UK alone. I urge everyone to take the jab when they are offered it,” said Dr Farzana Hussain, whose tireless efforts during the pandemic - including online campaigning and debunking of misinformation, and personally calling scores of patients who have yet to take the jab.
The report also mentions the role of local authorities that have also been working hard on the ground to encourage vaccine takeup. A pop-up vaccination clinic at the Pakistan Multicultural Youth and Community Centre in central Liverpool, a vaccination bus that visited locations across Crawley to drive vaccine uptake in the Hindu community and vaccination of more than 30 Imams at Oldham’s council’s pop-up clinic to drive up the confidence of local Muslims are a few examples of how local organizations are playing the key role in vaccine drive.
The ministry for equalities and the ministry for Covid-19 vaccine deployment will continue the plan of engagement for the next 3 months, focusing on promoting vaccine uptake and encouraging asymptomatic testing, particularly for those within higher-risk occupations, as sectors reopen.
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