KEIR STARMER has called on the government to come up with a proper plan to support the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to Black and minority ethnic communities, as part of Labour’s ‘Let’s Vaccinate Britain campaign’.

Starmer said Labour’s priorities included calling for the publication of vaccine data across different ethnic groups.

This follows news earlier today that NHS England will begin to collect data on the ethnicities of those who receive the vaccine. 

The Labour party is also calling for stronger action on anti-vaccine disinformation.

The final demand was for the government to analyse the impact of existing health inequalities on vaccine take-up.

Analysis of people with sickle cell who got COVID-19 in the US suggests that those with the condition should be cautious, for instance.

In the UK, 24-year-old Danielle Jinadu’s COVID-19 symptoms were wrongly attributed to her sickle cell and irritable bowel disease. This led to her wrongly being sent home from hospital on two occasions. She then went on to infect other members of her family, including her sister who was immunocompromised.

On the subject of sickle cell, Shadow Equalities Secretary Marsha de Cordova said: “We need the government to do more in terms of looking at, researching and analysing some of those pre-existing health conditions and also some of those health inequalities so that we can begin to build up trust and confidence within Black and minority ethnic communities around vaccine uptake.

Should Black and minority ethnic communities receive a vaccine first?

The Labour party will also release informational videos about the vaccine in numerous languages.

Starmer suggested it was also time to have a discussion about whether Black and minority ethnic communities should get priority for the vaccine, after the first four priority groups had received their jabs.

The leader said “the government had let down ethnic minority communities.”

The Department for Health currently has no plans to proritise Black and minority ethnic groups for receiving the vaccine.

They believe that higher rates of infection in certain communities are due to higher rates of certain health conditions. Therefore, they are prioritising the vaccination of all people with underlying health conditions.

The Labour party also said it would be taking action on recommendations made in a report by Doreen Lawrence, which showed that structural racism had led to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Black and minority ethnic communities.

In the past, SAGE has criticised the government for failing to act on its recommendations to protect Black and minority ethnic groups during the pandemic.

Minister for COVID vaccine deployment, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Effective vaccinations are one of the best ways to protect people from the virus and help us return to normal life, and we want every eligible person to benefit from the offer of a free vaccine, irrespective of their ethnicity or religious beliefs.

“The NHS is working closely with Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities to support those receiving a vaccine and help anyone who may have questions about the vaccination process.

“As part of this we’re engaging with faith and community leaders to give them advice and information about the universal benefits of vaccination and how their communities can get a jab.”