The ‘grab-a-jab’ campaign by NHS England has vaccinated more than 700,000 people from ethnic minority backgrounds since rolling out.
An analysis of one grab-a-jab weekend in July found that 2 in 5 of the 80,000 walk-in doses administered were to people from ethnic minority groups, significantly more than the proportion in the wider community. People have been able to turn up and get vaccinated at festivals, mosques, town halls, football grounds and other convenient sites since the campaign began earlier this summer.
‘Increasing vaccine confidence has been at the heart of the NHS rollout and staff who know and care for their local communities are continuing to go above and beyond to set up sites that meet their patients’ needs,’ said Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS medical director of primary care and deputy lead for the vaccination programme.
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‘This hard work is paying off and we are protecting people that were previously reluctant to get the vaccine, building on work we have already done, such as tackling misinformation online, translating materials into more than 20 languages and working with faith and community leaders to promote the vaccine’s safety.’
The fastest growth in vaccinations was from people of mixed Asian and white backgrounds between 20th June and 22nd August, with numbers growing by a quarter from 81,000 to 101,000, closely followed by mixed white and Black African groups. There was also a significant increase in people from Black communities getting the jab with 142,000 people receiving their first dose of the life-saving vaccine. More than 3 in 5 of those were Black African, with the number of people getting a first dose increasing by 20.9%. Meanwhile, the increase in vaccinations among white people was 11.1%.
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‘The vaccine is safe, effective and could save your life, and if you have any lingering questions or concerns, please come forward and speak to a trusted healthcare professional,’ added Dr Kanani.