‘Communicating with younger age groups is key’

EASTERN EYE’S analysis suggests that the number of south Asians taking up the offer of two doses, and so being fully protected, rose month-on-month since the start of the year.

By the end of September, more than 2.5 million had been double-vaccinated. That was an increase of almost nine per cent on the August 29 figure.

Since the start of the year, British Indians aged 18 or over continued to be the community which most took up the government’s offer to be fully protected.

As of last Thursday (26), British Pakistanis still lagged behind, with just 60 per cent of the community taking two vaccinations, compared to 75 per cent and 70 per cent for British Indians and British Bangladeshis, respectively.

“The most important thing is to take your primary dose, and the evidence shows once you have had your primary dose, you’re more likely to come back for your booster,” said the health secretary, Sajid Javid.

“You’ve really got to convince them that it’s a good thing to do, to keep something away, rather than when it’s in your face, and so that’s a challenge.

“If they’ve had six months since their primary dose, it is time to really start taking the booster.

“The older they are, or if they have got underlying health conditions, it becomes even more important.”

For Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association, convincing people to take the vaccine relies on the government making sure that its messages are effective, especially among younger age groups.

“As we speak, there are about 35,000 new cases every single day, and that’s an underestimate, that’s reported cases,” Nagpaul said. “People are falling ill, they are going to hospital, family members are being affected.

“The communication needs to be owned by those younger age groups, and the government needs to pass on the baton and provide support for that messaging to actually be co-owned by the younger age group, using tools like social media, Instagram, Twitter, and so forth.”