COVID-19: Plea to Salisbury BAME community

Councillor's family sets example amid concern over vaccination reluctance

Author: Mike DraperPublished 20th Feb 2021
Last updated 20th Feb 2021

Urgent calls are being made for more ethnic groups to come forward for the coronavirus jab, with high profile leaders and individuals from BAME background setting an example.

Yesterday (Friday 19 Feb) Salisbury City and Wiltshire Councillor, Atiqul Hoque, added his voice to the plea on the county's BAME community.

Cllr Hoque tweeted pictures of his parents getting their jabs at the Salisbury Cathedral vaccination centre.

On Facebook and Twitter Atiqul posted:

"I'm grateful my mum and dad just received their vaccination. It was well organised in our beautiful Cathedral. Well done team."

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust has said it has 'rising concern' about the number of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in Wiltshire who are increasingly reluctant to be vaccinated.

VACCINE: SALISBURY BANGLADESHI CONCERNS

The NHS Trust revealed that It's a very worrying problem, especially in Salisbury among the city's Bangladeshi community.

Uptake rates have been poor.

Leaden Hall replaced Salisbury Cathedral has a vaccine centre

EXAMPLE BEING SET

Also yesterday London Mayor Sadiq Khan had his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

He was advised by his GP to receive the jab in the current phase of the rollout because of his asthma.

He's now urging people from a BAME background to get the injection - following concerns about uptake rates.

Many GPs have raised also been raising concern over the low uptake of the jab among BAME communities. Medical professionals blame misinformation for causing patients to refuse the offer of being protected from the infection.

BAME NHS WORKERS

NHS England has also said it is working hard to address the impact of COVID-19 on BAME staff.

It has evidence of 'disproportionate mortality and morbidity' amongst black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people, including our NHS staff, who have contracted COVID-19.

NHS England has said it's critical that it understand which groups are most at risk, so it can take concerted action to protect them.