Doctors, pharmacists and parliamentarians are concerned about greater awareness of the coronavirus vaccination drive among members of the black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Community members are also stepping forward to shed any stigma and inhibitions around the vaccination process. On Tuesday 8 December as Asian Voice went to print, 87-year-old Dr Hari Shukla OBE and his 84-year-old wife Ranjan Shukla became the first Indian-origin couple to be injected with the vaccine at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, after being collected from home personally by Martin Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals.
Encouraging everyone to take the vaccine, Ugandan born Dr Shukla, grandfather of nine, in an exclusive interview with Asian Voice said, “When the NHS called me, I asked them if I could take along my wife Ranjan for the vaccination. She is 84. They said of course, that will be great. So, both of us have taken the injection this morning. The NHS staff are absolutely wonderful and very dedicated.
“There were lot of people waiting to receive us at the hospital doorstep. They took us in, doctors explained to us about the vaccine and then the nurse injected us. We have to go back in January after 21 days from today to take the second dose. The injection did not hurt; I did not even realise that I was injected. I thought it would be painful. But it wasn’t.
“People in different communities have concerns about this vaccine, but my idea is to urge and encourage people to take it. I am determined to tell people that this is a serious crisis. It is still spreading and we need to take advantage of this vaccine now.”
Any appointments not used for these most at-risk groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from Covid-19. All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later. Dr. Shukla’s father went to Uganda from Mumbai to work in the railways. Dr Shukla went to school in Kampala and got his teacher’s certificate in Kenya. He then got his Certificate of Education at Exeter University. He later returned to Kenya to teach and was then offered his first job in race relations in Scunthorpe before moving to Newcastle in 1974.
In Newcastle he later got the job of Director of the Tyne and Wear Racial Equality Council. He has been awarded an MBE, OBE and CBE for his work on race relations and helping to bring communities together. He has told his story of childhood, education and work in Newcastle in a book called ‘The Art of Giving’. People aged 80 and over as well as care home workers will be first to receive the jab this week, along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.
Over the weekend, hospitals have begun inviting over 80s in for a jab and work with care home providers to book their staff in to vaccination clinics.
Creating awareness around safety of vaccine in BAME community
Labelled as the V-Day with a mass vaccination programme begins, about 70 hospital hubs across the UK are gearing up to give the Pfizer/BioNTech jab to the over-80s and some health and care staff. The government has secured 800,000 doses of this vaccine currently, but orders have been placed for 40 million in total, enough for 20 million people as two courses are needed. The Pfizer vaccine needs to be kept at a temperature of about -70C when transported but some GPs have said that they've been informed it can be stored for a few days in normal fridges. Most fundamentally it is crucial that elderly people get their jab and for this to be possible, politicians are concerned that the elderly are aware of and understand the significance of taking the coronavirus vaccine.
Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, Mayor of West Midlands, Andy Street said, “There is no prioritisation in the vaccination drive with regards to geography or the ethnicity. Instead, age is the primary factor. We need to ensure that the BAME community is aware of the wisdom of having the vaccine. It is important that individuals from the diverse ethnic communities understand the safety and significance of the vaccination process. Thus, the messaging should be propagated in different regional and local languages. We need the uptake of the vaccine to be as high as possible for it to be as effective as possible and that is something we are extremely focussed on in Birmingham.” Birmingham Mayor urges following social distancing rules will not visit his parents during Christmas.
The vaccination drive begins ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities bringing the much- needed cheer at the end of a lockdown-imposed year. The Government has already previously announced some relaxation of coronavirus restrictions by allowing people to mix with a slightly wider circle of family and friends. Across the UK, people will be able to form & bubbles of three households over a five-day period. But scientists have warned that Britons should remain cautious while socialising especially as infections continue to rise daily.
Concerned about another potential spike in Covid-19 infections during the flu season, the Mayor of West Midlands said, “Communities have celebrated their festivals in lockdown including Ramadan and Diwali. Thus, it is understandable that rules are relaxed by the government ahead of Christmas and towards the end of the year when people want that opportunity to be together. People should decide and make their own judgement on what is wise. I have had a discussion with my elderly parents and have not been able to visit them for months considering the Tier we are placed in. But we are not getting together for Christmas and that is an example of an individual deciding what is right for themselves.”
London Mayor warns about the city slipping in Tier three lockdown
In Tier Three rules, which are currently applied across most of the Midlands and the North, as well as Kent and Bristol, people are not allowed to socialise indoors or in enclosed gardens with anyone from another household and restaurants and cafés must close. In the meantime, Londoners might be facing Tier three lockdown restrictions just a week before Christmas as data shows infections are up in two-thirds of the capital’s boroughs. According to the latest data by Public Health England infection rates are rising in the capital, with cases per person up by half in certain areas of the city. Rates in some areas were rising even before lockdown was lifted on December 2.
Londoners enjoyed the first weekend of slightly eased measures. Public Health England data shows that 20 of London's boroughs have infection rates higher than the England average, and 21 boroughs have rates that rose in the seven days up to December 2.
Government officials are set to meet on December 16 to review tiers across the country - just over a week before Christmas Day. Urging Londoners to follow public health rules, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “From today our NHS will be working to vaccinate the most vulnerable in our society and those who work hard to keep them safe. After many dark months, I am glad that there is now some light at the end of the tunnel. Londoners aged 80 and over, and care home workers, will be first to receive the jab at six hospital hubs across the capital, along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.
“It is a huge achievement to have produced a vaccine that has met the strict safety and quality standards in the UK, and is now ready for use. It is a testament to the hard work of scientists around the world and I urge all those who are offered the vaccine to take it so they can protect themselves and others. I can assure you that, when it’s our turn, my family and I will all be getting vaccinated.
“But until the vaccine is fully rolled out to everyone who needs it, we must all continue to play our part to keep ourselves and others safe. We still have a long winter ahead of us and I urge Londoners to continue to follow the public health rules to protect each other and our NHS.”
GPs asked to prioritise elderly BAME patients
The BAME community has been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus with over 600 healthcare workers from minority backgrounds dying at Covid-19 frontlines. Thus, GPs have been instructed to prioritise patients from BAME backgrounds in their first over-80s Covid-19 vaccination cohorts. This advice to prioritise the BAME community, within the first over-80s cohort, is based on an independent report from Public Health England in which the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JVCI) outlines vaccination priority groups. The PHE report states that ‘there is clear evidence that certain BAME groups have higher rates of infection, and higher rates of serious disease, morbidity and mortality’ as a result of Covid-19 infection.
Dr Nikita Kanani, NHS England Medical Director for Primary Care, said, “Evidence shows Covid-19 disproportionately affects those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. That’s why it is so important that people take up the offer of a vaccine when they receive one. This will be a marathon, not a sprint, but we’re working hard to ensure as many people as possible get vaccinated so they can protect themselves and their families, starting this week with older people and care home staff.”
