Illustration by John Sadler www.johnsadlerillustration.com 

• AS the vaccination booster programme kicks into overdrive, it is vital that ethnic minority groups are not forgotten.

While Camden is faring slightly better than some other London local authorities, with over 83 per cent of over-65s having had the booster shot, it is extremely important to reach the remaining 17 per cent as quickly as possible.

As with the earlier vaccination programme, preliminary analysis has shown that booster uptake remains lower among ethnic minority groups.

As of December 7 OpenSAFELY showed that nationally the proportion of eligible black people who have not had the booster shot is twice that of white people, while for South Asians it is 70 per cent higher.

The Camden vaccination buses have done fantastic work in reaching many communities and driving up vaccine uptake.

It is great that this is continuing during the booster programme. Beyond this, we need to learn what worked and what didn’t in terms of effective communication during the first vaccination drive.

Working with churches, mosques, and other faith groups helped counter vaccine hesitancy, and this dialogue must be prioritised during the booster drive.

Camden Council’s pan-London vaccination information webinars for the Bangladeshi and Somali communities were important events that helped increase vaccine uptake and consideration should be given as to whether similar events will help increase booster uptake this time around.

CAMRON AREF-ADIB
BAME Officer
Holborn & St Pancras Constituency Labour Party