Community ‘champions’ will tackle jab resistance
Government to provide £24m to councils to dispel myths about vaccine among ethnic minorities
COMMUNITY vaccine champions will be paid to persuade people to get the jab amid growing concern about resistance among parts of the black and minority ethnic population.
The Government has set up a £24million fund to help councils recruit people to dispel myths about the vaccine that have taken root in some sections of society.
Statistically, people from BAME communities are among the most likely to die from coronavirus, though the exact reason for this remains unclear.
Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, will today write to BAME MPS, asking them to promote the scheme and citing “worrying” data on resistance to the jabs.
It comes after care home bosses reported that up to half of staff in some homes have refused to be vaccinated, despite the majority of residents now having been inoculated.
Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, said that “false information about Covid-19 could cost lives”.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said it was “vital” that higher risk groups were given factual information and advice about the coronavirus vaccine rollout.
The money, which will be shared between 60 councils and voluntary groups, will pay for tailored support to vulnerable groups, including one-toone phone calls, translation services and training programmes for volunteers.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said some councils could choose to pay some community champions carrying out “specific targeted work” though most would rely on a network of volunteers.
As well as people from BAME groups, the scheme will target faith groups, people with learning disabilities and those from gipsy, Roma and traveller families.
A spokesman from the MHCLG said: “Champions will be drawn from these groups to share accurate health information with their neighbours, networks and wider community.”
The department said it would work with two charities – Near Neighbours and Strengthening Faith Institutions – to recruit “influential community leaders” who they hope can help reverse resistance to the vaccine.
Mr Zahawi will contact BAME MPS to ask for their support in expanding the community champions scheme, which has already been piloted in cities including Birmingham.
He will cite research sponsored by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) that showed 72 per cent of black people unlikely or very unlikely to get a vaccine, compared with 42 per cent of people with Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage, 32 per cent of mixed race people and 26 per cent of non-british
‘People will be drawn from these groups to share accurate health information with their neighbours’
or Irish white people. Across the UK population as a whole, 71 per cent of people have said they would “definitely” have the jab if offered it now – the highest proportion of any developed nation.
Resistance to the vaccine among some communities is not only putting them at risk, but also has a knock-on effect in the NHS and care homes.
The National Care Association has raised concerns about vaccine resistance among some care home staff, with one care-home owner in west London saying that while all but one of his residents has had the jab, half of his staff had refused it.
Ian Somauroo, who owns the Meadows Residental Care Home, said reasons given by his staff for refusing the jab included causing infertility, denial that the virus exists, and being part of a “medical experiment”.