HRH The Prince of Wales, as founding patron of the British Asian Trust, outlined the importance of building trust in communities as key to increasing uptake, and that those that understand, and have the respect of their communities are well placed in this. He also said that the development of the Covid-19 vaccinations was one of the greatest scientific efforts of all time, and that it would be a tragedy that the benefits should not be experienced by everybody.
The discussion that followed was hosted by BBC Presenter and British Asian Trust Ambassador, Ritula Shah. Contributions were heard from:
- Nadhim Zahawi MP, Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment, UK Government
- Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India
- Prof. Kevin Fenton, London Regional Director, Public Health England
- Prof. Farida Fortune, Professor of Oral Immunobiology and Regenerative Medicine, QMUL
- Dr Nikita Kanani MBE, Medical Director for Primary Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement
- Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
The speed with which the vaccinations have been developed and approved was addressed by Adar Poonawalla and Nadhim Zahawi MP, who explained that the ability to conduct large scale and rigorous trials in parallel, along with the independent expertise of the medicine’s regulator, the MHRA, enabled the UK to get ahead.
London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan quoted the latest data, which suggests that British people from a South Asian background are up to 5 times more likely to die from Covid-19 that their white counterparts and called on everyone to do everything possible to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbours – this includes getting vaccinated when the time comes.
The PDA’s current #GetVaccinated campaign is therefore urgent, as momentum is building around a significant effort across all of society to ensure that no-one is left behind in getting the Covid-19 vaccination. Pharmacists are trusted healthcare professionals who understand their communities and are respected by them, and therefore can really make a difference in reaching out and providing reliable information.
If you missed the session you can see the highlights here
Read more about the PDA’s #GetVaccinated campaign here
Get involved
- Pharmacists and all PDA members are encouraged to get involved in the #GetVaccinated campaign by recording and then posting a video to social media using the hashtags #GetVaccinated and #PDAbame, explaining why it is important to get vaccinated. Don’t forget to also tag us in the post!
- If you are multilingual, we also encourage you to record and post your message in another language.
- Open conversations with patients in your pharmacy and community about the vaccination programme, encourage them to get vaccinated when they can and reassure them that it is safe.
- Talk to your friends and family too, everyone should have the vaccine to protect themselves, their family, and their community.
- Keep in touch. Let us know your views and share your ideas to promote the campaign by emailing us at: bame@the-pda.org
Related links
- #GetVaccinated campaign videos
- ‘COVID-19 Vaccine – Facts for the BAME community’ webinar registration page
- Covid vaccine: Van-Tam ‘really concerned’ fewer BAME people will get jab
- Prince Charles joins campaign to overcome minorities’ mistrust of Covid jabs
- COVID-19: Prince Charles and Camilla receive their first coronavirus vaccine doses
- British Asian celebrities unite for video to dispel Covid vaccine myths
- Public Health England Translations – Social Statics – Coronavirus Resource centre (phe.gov.uk)
- “A Thousand Little Ships” approach to Covid-19 vaccinations could boost capacity and uptake by millions