People from ethnic minorities in the UK are significantly less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine, research suggests.
A study from the Royal Society for Public Health found 57% of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people said they would take the vaccine.
This compared with 79% of white people who would take a Covid vaccine.
Vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi warned of vaccine conspiracy theories being shared online.
“People send WhatsApps, videos, all kinds of messages – if you don’t know where that’s coming from then it is very likely to be inaccurate,” said the vaccine deployment minister, Mr Zahawi, asking people to look at health information from official sources rather than rumours.
“This is an incredibly well developed scientific endeavour and I would urge everyone to take the information, read it and then make your mind up,” he said.
Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said the reluctance among BAME communities flew in the face of those most in need of vaccinations – which she had seen first-hand.
“For someone like me, who stood in the Nightingale, and saw row after row of BAME patients being ventilated – and seeing how it disproportionately affected people from the BAME community – I’d be urging everybody to take the vaccine,” she said.
The study, based on a survey of more than 2,000 adults across the UK, revealed different levels of trust in the vaccination process among social and ethnic groups.
On average, more than three-quarters of people would take a coronavirus vaccine if they were advised to by a doctor or health professional.
- People on lower incomes also seemed less confident about a vaccine, with a wealth gap in take-up:
- 84% of high earners planning to get vaccinated, compared with 70% of low earners.
- 55% of the Asian community would take a vaccine, the lowest acceptance
- 14% in London were “very unlikely” to get vaccinated, the highest region for rejections
- Women more reluctant to take the vaccine than men
