Sir, as healthcare professionals (HCPs) from the black community we agree with the letter Public vaccine distrust that community level vaccine coverage is crucial.1
Vaccine hesitancy was recently noted as highest in Black (71.8%) compared to Pakistani/Bangladeshi (42.3%), mixed ethnicity (32.4%) and non-UK/Irish white (26.4%) ethnic groups2 with significant differences in the willingness of people from a BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) group accepting the vaccine compared to those from white ethnic groups.3,4 GPs have also raised concerns about low vaccine uptake as a primary care network showed 20-30% of people from the BAME group did not attend vaccines clinics compared to 2-3% in other groups.5 Worryingly, there is clear evidence that COVID-19 does not affect all ethnic groups equally with disproportionate hospitalisations and excess mortality amongst the BAME community in the first wave, who are, sadly, also reluctant to participate in vaccine trials.6
We can relate to the vaccine hesitancy displayed by our community. Historical unethical medical experimentation, scientific racism, misinformation and propaganda have fuelled distrust and lack of participation. The Pfizer meningitis vaccine scandal in Northern Nigeria is an example which contributed to the rejection of the polio vaccine years later in 2003.7,8 HCPs therefore, especially those from these communities, have an important role in myth busting, using an evidence-based approach to dispel misinformation across their networks in a religious and culturally sensitive way.
With the UK set to relax lockdown, we need collaborative, multifaceted approaches to support engagement from the BAME group. The University of Leeds Dental School in collaboration with the National Institute of Health Research released 'Covid and me - vaccines', a short drama series telling stories of lived experiences of vaccine hesitancy of people from the BAME group. With the help of social media, these films have been shared across different Black platforms with the aim of encouraging vaccine uptake amongst these communities.
References
- 1.Elleray E. Public vaccine distrust. Br Dent J 2021; 230: 60. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
- 2.Robertson E, Reeve K S, Niedzwiedz C L et al. Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. medRxiv 2020.12.27.20248899; doi: 10.1101/2020.12.27.20248899. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
- 3.Thorneloe R, Wilcockson H, Lamb M, Jordan C H, Arden M. Willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine among adults at high-risk of COVID-19: a UK-wide survey. 2020. doi:10.31234/osf.io/fs9wk.
- 4.Royal Society for Public Health. Public attitudes to a COVID-19 vaccine. Findings from our December 2020 poll, looking at COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy across different ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Available at: https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/policy/vaccinations/public-attitudes-to-a-covid-19-vaccine.html (accessed 17 January 2021).
- 5.Haynes L. GPs raise alarm over low uptake of COVID-19 vaccine in BAME patients. GPonline 19 January 2021. Available at: https://www.gponline.com/gps-raise-alarm-low-uptake-covid-19-vaccine-bame-patients/article/1704790 (accessed 17 January 2021).
- 6.Public Health England. Beyond the data: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups. June 2020. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/892376/COVID_stakeholder_engagement_synthesis_beyond_the_data.pdf (accessed 17 January 2021).
- 7.Evuleocha S. The global market in human experimentation: Pfizer and the meningitis experiment in Nigeria. Interdisciplinary J Research Business 2012; 2: 46-55.
- 8.Jegede A S. What led to the Nigerian boycott of the polio vaccination campaign? PLoS Med 2007; 4: e73. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]