‘Vaccine is our best weapon against the Covid virus’

By Shaun Bailey

WE’VE all had that one person we’ve been worried about during the pandemic. For some it was grandparents. For others it was a partner. For me it was my mum.

My mum works in the NHS. She has been on the frontlines every day helping doctors and nurses fight this virus. I’m proud of the work she does – but I worry about her health. So, when she got her first vaccine just over two weeks ago, it was a huge relief – to me, to my wife, and to my children.

My mum’s story is not unique. There are thousands of key work­ers from black, Asian and minor­ity backgrounds who have helped to keep the country going through this pandemic.

I want to make sure that every­one in our communities know that the vaccine is safe. Because the sad fact is that black people are almost twice as likely to die from coronavirus as white people. The same goes for men of Paki­stani and Bangladeshi heritage.

That’s why I’m concerned about the vaccine scepticism among some people in the black and Asian communities. Re­search suggests that only 57 per cent of south Asians in the UK would take the jab, with similar numbers for other communities from minority backgrounds.

I know some people have reli­gious concerns. And I know oth­ers have been targeted by the vi­cious spread of misinformation.

But, together, we can challenge these myths. The vaccine, after all, has been rigorously tested by medi­cal professionals. It has been en­dorsed by councils in every part of the country and leaders of every religion, including the British Islamic Medical Association, the Hin­du Council UK, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. None of the vaccines – including the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and the Moderna jabs – contains any animal products.

So we can all feel confident in urging everyone – particularly those, like me, from a black or Asian community – to get the jab, our best weapon against the virus.

This is especially important at a time when our NHS is under immense pressure. Health work­ers in the black and Asian com­munities, like my mum, are at a greater risk of dying from the vi­rus after contracting it at work.

When I’m called up to get the jab, I will take it with pride. Be­cause it’s not just a way to protect my own health. It’s the way I can protect the health of my loved ones and my community. Even better, it’s the way we’ll be united once again with our friends and family, reopen the country, and give London a fresh start.

Shaun Bailey is the Conservative candidate for mayor of London.