BAME uptake of vaccination

[randomer]

I am reading that the BAME community is disproporionately affected by Covid and the uptake of offers of vaccines is less than non BAME.

I wonder if its true and also why.

I apologise for the clumsy term "BAME" but I can't think how else to word it.

If they do not want the vaccine why do you care so much. It is not illegal

'may not totally understand or agree with someone else’s opinion but I would acknowledge it and then would spend some time researching it before belittling it. But then again, I am an educated person with an open mind.'

Oh I'm always happy to hear other's coherent opinions but this is not it. BAME community didn't volunteer for trials in large numbers now the BAME community are complaining that they weren't represented in trials in large numbers.

You seem to think white people are too privileged to care about side effects from new vaccines. Or, perhaps most people having the vaccine understand it is the only way back to any semblance of normality.

@GetOffYourHighHorse u seem to hold an agenda

I believe that there is an agenda held by some far-Right groups, mostly based in the USA, who are tailoring messages specifically to discourage Black people from taking the vaccine on social media. I think that in the same way that the Black American population was discouraged to vote in the American elections in 2016, some far Right groups are now targeting messages towards the Black communities to discourage them from taking the jab.

And unfortunately, the misinformation is trickling down all around the world.

I think it's absolutely shameful and needs to be acknowledged by UK authorities.

@goarbdj the more people who refuse to have the vaccine the longer this nightmare will continue. A certain percentage of the population have to have the vaccine to achieve herd immunity. Restrictions may have to continue if not enough people have the vaccine.

@ineedaholidaynow

I’m not saying that, I am equally eternally grateful for the vaccine volunteers, but I equally understand why some people may be more nervous about the trial and vaccine.

@ineedaholidaynow yes but it is still a choice at the end of the day. we do not live in both Korea

North*

'believe that there is an agenda held by some far-Right groups, mostly based in the USA, who are tailoring messages specifically to discourage Black people from taking the vaccine on social media.'

Yes it's terrible. I just hope more and more high profile people from the BAME community continue to advocate the vaccine.

I work in a hospital and they are currently having a massive drive towards BAME staff because proportionately wise they aren’t taking up the vaccine in as high numbers as others are.

There’s a big Zoom meeting being planned across the Trust next month (with all the senior bosses at the top of the hospital’ a ladder and any clinical staff that want to attend, whether they are BAME or not) to address the issue and discover why.

'u seem to hold an agenda'

Yes I do. Get the vaccine, that's my agenda. Get infection rates, hospital admissions and deaths down. We know that some communities have a much higher incidence so it's imperative they do what they can to protect themselves.

@GetOffYourHighHorse

And do you feel like your method is really going to help and encourage people to get the vaccine? Just asking people if you are serious, as a response to a possible explanation to why some are wary of the vaccine.

For you it’s simple, for others it clearly isn’t.

@GetOffYourHighHorse

'Yes thank God that those with such white privilege stepped up and were brave'

Oh fgs, nothing to do with 'white privilege' 🙄. It is however a fact that without those willing to volunteer we wouldn't have vaccines being widely administered would we. Perhaps you prefer the high hospitalisation and death rates, hmm?

It's been explained in posts on this thread why BAME people would be less likely to volunteer. Maybe try understanding why people who are failed by the medical community time and time again may not want to put themselves forward. Let's not forget the fact they are more likely to suffer from asthma etc so are often excluded from being able to volunteer. Several of my friends wanted to volunteer but were ineligible due to asthma and other common in the BAME community illness.

Black women are 5 times more likely to die during childbirth. They are not listened to. They are dismissed. Their choices in labour are not listened to, including when they want pain relief.

I felt like this as a white person TBH! So can’t imagine how awful childbirth must be for anyone who experiences discrimination on top of that.

@GetOffYourHighHorse well with that attitude no one will listen to you. No wonder you are so bitter and unfulfilled

[quote OverTheRainbow88]@GetOffYourHighHorse

It is a privilege to not be scared of scientists, medicine, the government etc and willing to trust that the British system has your personal best interest at heart , to have and trust a system which usually works in your favour is a privilege.

So yes it is a privilege.[/quote]
It was scientists that 'proved' black people had subhuman intelligence.
thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-24/edition-4/looking-back-controversial-hans-eysenck

www.varsity.co.uk/science/19479

It's a complex subject but some ultra religious communities perhaps feel divine intervention will help.

Black women are 5 times more likely to die during childbirth. They are not listened to. They are dismissed. Their choices in labour are not listened to, including when they want pain relief.

I don't doubt that this is the case sometimes, but it is not always as straightforward as this. Because of things like the mistrust of healthcare services and the overreliance on family members/ beliefs about labour & childbirth etc, there are many black women who (finally) present at hospital in much later stages of labour than other groups, often in emergency situations. Their choices about birth/ pain relief may then be more limited.

I'm not saying there aren't problems to be addressed, but it's too simplistic to put it all down to inherent racism.

'well with that attitude no one will listen to you. No wonder you are so bitter and unfulfilled'

I'm not at all bitter and I'm very fulfilled thanks. No need for personal insults, let's try to behave like grown ups.

'don't doubt that this is the case sometimes, but it is not always as straightforward as this.'

Yes and the fact certain ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by diseases like diabetes and heart disease, high blood pressure. It isn't all down to the white privileged midwife not listening. Not saying racism doesn't exist of course, but it seems to be the umbrella excuse for absolutely everything.

Can we not turn this into a white vs bame community debate and stick to the discussion and education of bame vaccine hesistancy!!

There may be a later take up of the vaccine among many sections of society, not just BAME, if airlines or other countries testing travel to vaccinated only.

I've read through the thread, and while there are plenty of posts pinning the blame on (previous generations of) White people, I couldn't see a mention of the role of husbands and (bearded) 'community-leaders' in gate-keeping women's access to healthcare.
Does this not play a role in some traditional patriarchal communities?

@Gubanc read about the Tuskegee Study.

@EmbarrassingAdmissions

It was widely believed in the medical community that Black people didn't feel/felt less pain.

It still is, judging by the disparate maternal mortality rate of black women and the inhumane withholding of appropriate pain relief for people with Sickle Cell crisis pain.

There's good research evidence (albeit largely US based) to show black people are given less pain relief.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843483/
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448154/

I’m part of a vaccine trial (novavax) and we’ve been told the intake is basically overwhelmingly white and middle class. Despite best efforts very few volunteers have been recruited from BAME groups. No reason to think vaccines wouldn’t work in those groups but it is a general worry that trials don’t really represent society as a whole.