THERE’S been a lot of talk about the anti-vax brigade, alongside mask refusal and lockdown denial from all the usual moaning suspects that get far too much oxygen in the British media.

Now the British Red Cross is taking this misinformation and subjective nonsense head on, promoting a positive nationwide campaign to tackle the real problem of vaccine hesitancy in the UK, particularly among BAME communities.

Hesitancy to take the vaccine is a serious matter. High population take-up is essential in helping us overcome Covid-19 alongside continuing social-distancing measures, levels and tiers systems – anything less will threaten the pandemic response and could keep us in repeated lockdown limbo as well as a continued threat to life. With so much misinformation flying around and in some cases suggestions that anti-vaxxers are deliberately targeting vulnerable groups with negative messages about the vaccine, the British Red Cross aims to highlight this issue and the importance of addressing it.

Research shows that concerns over taking the vaccine are higher in some but not all black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, with eight in 10 people overall from these communities preferring to trust their families on vaccine information rather than the government or media.

Is it safe? Is there any truth behind the rumours from vaccine critics? What are the side effects? What are the ingredients? How will it affect me? These are some of the common questions being raised as people await their blue envelopes arriving through their letterboxes.

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I’m delighted to see that the British Red Cross, as part of its research, has not lumped BAME Brits into one category but recognises variation in attitudes across the board, with reports showing that outright rejection of the vaccine is far higher in Pakistani, black African and black Caribbean respondents, for instance – with 82% of the overall community who are doubtful about taking the jag saying they could be convinced to have the vaccine from a trusted source. Hence the campaign focus on conversations that are informed and factual and recognition of the role of families and friends as sources of trusted information.

In a recent article in The Conversation, Dr Winston Morgan, reader in toxicology and clinical biochemistry at the University of East London, argues that any hesitancy amongst BAME communities is a complex matter, linked to a “legacy of discrimination” and issues of trust with governments and the NHS. Covid-19 has surely highlighted gross structural inequalities in the UK, with communities of colour especially vulnerable to infection and death from the virus for a variety of institutionally racist reasons that should shame our society to its core.

The British Medical Journal featured a blog on vaccine hesitancy and how to improve vaccine acceptance last month. Recognising that mistrust felt by those from ethnic backgrounds is neither irrational nor unreasonable given the disproportionate death and illness toll, Professor Aseem Majeed and honorary clinical research fellow, Tasnime Osama, from the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London, argue for these concerns to be addressed with respect, through engaging with these groups to “increase knowledge levels, reduce perceived risks and enable informed decision making”. They also argue for enhancing vaccine access and convenience as a practical response to reach out to those at the thin end of health inequality.

As a member of Scotland’s Muslim community, I’m relieved to read a medical blog that examines “culturally sensitive and tailored risk communication and messaging” as well as recommending that faith and influential community leaders get involved with reassuring the public.

Just a few weeks back I wrote about Zara Mohammed, the first female secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, talking about helping Muslim communities with their fears on the vaccine and worries about Covid. She has been especially sensitive to the sheer horror and depth of grief and bereavement in Muslim families across the country, from loss due to the virus, and the importance of ensuring that we take our jag to stay safe and protected.

The British Red Cross has a strong historical record on supporting vaccination programmes across the world, where mass immunisation has helped eradicate diseases like smallpox and reduced transmission of polio and measles for instance. I thoroughly recommend their website as a source of objective and clear information on the vaccination programme and the debunking of myths. It is the perfect antidote to the online anti-vaccination stories that pollute and diminish valuable

health messaging, with their new campaign reaching out to individuals, families, faith groups and minorities at risk of falling prey to distortion and exaggeration of risks.

A successful national vaccination programme involves a joined-up approach in order to build trust, awareness and acceptance of the tools at our disposal to tackle Covid-19. Vaccines are central to this narrative and they are central to our recovery.

I’ve lost three family members in as many months to Covid-19. Unfortunately, the virus got to them before the vaccine could.