Anti-vaxxers spread fear in unvaccinated capital of UK
ANTI-VAXXERS are spreading misinformation in the inner-city neighbourhood with England’s lowest Covid vaccine uptake.
More than a year after the UK began rolling out its jab programme, 69 per cent of people in Harehills South in Leeds have still not had two doses of the vaccine.
Since mid-September, just 20 Covid jabs have been given per 100 people aged over 12 living there, the lowest rate in England. The second lowest – at 24 doses per 100 – is neighbouring Harehills North.
An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has found efforts to boost those figures are being stymied by an anti-vax campaign. The impact is being felt by local NHS services. A leaked memo recently revealed that medics at the city’s two major hospitals have seen Covid-19 patients ‘flooding’ wards, forcing the suspension of non life-saving surgery.
Harehills is a deprived, densely
Local hospitals have Covid patients ‘flooding’ wards
populated and ethnically diverse area. Almost 72 per cent of its 8,800 residents is from an ethnic minority, with 31 per cent of the population British Pakistani, according to the Office for National Statistics, though there are also groups from Eastern Europe, Somalia and Iraq.
Other areas in northern England with similar demographic profiles have considerably higher vaccination rates and there is no shortage of vaccination centres in Harehills, with two hubs and at least three pharmacies offering the jab.
Pharmacist Salwan Al-Biatty, 29, who works at the Imaan pharmacy on Harehills Lane, said he had encountered high levels of vaccinescepticism caused by ‘scare stories’. ‘We’ve tried hard to promote the vaccine and have received abuse from anti-vaxxers in response,’ he said.
‘They told us to f*** off and that people didn’t need the vaccine.’
Councillor Andrew Carter, the leader of the Tory group on Leeds council, revealed that anti-vaxxers tried to confront him at his home last October. ‘The anti-vax brigade are seriously beginning to undermine the excellent work the health services have been doing to get people vaccinated,’ he said.
‘We were away but our neighbour alerted us to two men knocking on the door and windows of the house trying to get someone to answer. We got in touch with the police and they tracked them down. They were anti-vaxxers.’
Furqan Ahmed, imam of Bilal Mosque in Harehills, said he had tried in vain to promote the vaccine. ‘Conspiracy theories are a problem,’ he said.
One of those spreading misinformation online is Neil Holmes, who acts as administrator for the Harehills Community Watch Facebook page.
In response to a post about the poor vaccination uptake in the area, Mr Holmes said: ‘Don’t get jabbed, hug your loved ones, show your amazing smile and try to remain psychotic free.’
Confronted by the MoS this weekend, Mr Holmes stood by his views, which appear to have been widely accepted in Harehills.
Salma Arif, a local Labour councillor and Leeds council’s executive member for public health, said: ‘I do think the area is unique because of the… diversity of the area, and the fact that some of those communities are suspicious or have seen misinformation.
‘I acknowledge that vaccine rates are low in certain areas but I also feel confident that we are doing everything in our power to make sure people have access to the information they need to make an informed decision.’