WHITE PEOPLE in England are almost twice as likely to have had the vaccine than black people who are over 80 in England, according to new research.

Government ministers have now been criticised for not responding urgently to vaccine disparities among ethnic groups.

People from black, Asian and mixed ethnicity backgrounds are all less likely to have been vaccinated than white people among those aged 80 and above in England.

Only some ethnic minorities had received at least one vaccine dose, as of January 27.

Calls from equality campaigners ten months ago to ministers to take urgent action to protect vulnerable black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities were ignored.

In March 2020, Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, expressed concerns about the high exposure these communities were under in March.

“This isn’t about vaccine refusal, because that very rhetoric implies that these communities are doing something wrong, it’s their fault somehow. We need to balance the conversation away from hesitancy and uptake to the response to black and minority ethnic groups and their institutional mistrust now, and how they might be supported to show trust back in our public services like the NHS and the police,” she said.

The trust further advised that the government should make vaccine rollout to black and minority ethnic communities in dense urban areas a priority and work with leaders to combat misinformation.

Growing mistrust and scepticism within ethnic minority groups over the vaccines, prompted the government to release a cross-party video campaign to boost confidence.

Begum added it is important to dispel “fake news” that is impacting vaccine take up for these communities.

“There are other issues at play that need addressing, including deep-seated multigenerational reservations and fear that some people in BAME communities have about accessing the NHS.

“That fear is often based on past experience, whether incidents of simple misunderstanding, cultural confusion or, in the case of some patients, an outright fear of perceived hostility and racism,” she said.