Covid: Black over-80s half as likely to have been vaccinated
By Rachel Schraer
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Black people over the age of 80 were half as likely as their white peers to have been vaccinated against Covid by 13 January, a large study suggests.
This is despite the fact black people are four times more likely to die with Covid-19 than their white counterparts.
People living in deprived areas or who have severe mental-health conditions or learning disabilities were also less likely to have received a vaccination.
The study was based on more than 20 million patient records in England.
The OpenSafely study, by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, found of the million people over 80, but not living in a care home:
Nurse administers a coronavirus vaccine. Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
More than 6.5 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, but misinformation about the jab continues to spread.
With jabs being administered at a rate of 250 a minute, Imams, influencers, medics and government officials have been debunking some of the most harmful content being shared.
Myth: Vaccines are mandatory
Reality: A video widely shared on social media claims because the Covid regulations are law, this means there will be “mandatory vaccines, house arrest until people are vaccinated and children forced to be vaccinated”.
This is not true.
Parliament did vote in favour of Covid-19 regulations to introduce a new national lockdown, but this does not make vaccines mandatory.
Children cannot be vaccinated without parental consent and adults can choose whether or not to take the jab.
Imam Qari Asim told the PA news agency: “Misinformation can result in someone losing their life and it is one of the core principles of Islam that protection of life is extremely important.
“My message to Muslim communities is that it is our ethical obligation, moral duty, to take the vaccine whenever the opportunity arises.”
– MYTH: Vaccines make you infertile
FACT: Professor Lucy Chappell, a consultant obstetrician specialising in women with medical problems in pregnancy, says it is understandable that there have been questions about the new vaccines but said that fearful claims, which can be found online, have never been substantiated.
– MYTH: The vaccine is not halal/contains pork products FACT: Claims that the vaccine contains gelatin have caused concern in religious communities. However, vaccine manufacturers have said the vaccine does not contain any animal ingredients and no animal-derived cells were used. The British Islamic Medical Association has recommended at-risk individuals within the Muslim community get vaccinated, and the Mosque and Imams National Advisory Board is running a campaign to encourage Muslim communities to get vaccinated. KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT COVID & VACCINES With so much info & mis information being spread, how do you know what to believe? ✅ BIMA has put together infographics concisely answering common myths
Imam Qari Asim told the PA news agency: “Misinformation can result in someone losing their life and it is one of the core principles of Islam that protection of life is extremely important.
“My message to Muslim communities is that it is our ethical obligation, moral duty, to take the vaccine whenever the opportunity arises.”
– MYTH: Vaccines make you infertile
FACT: Professor Lucy Chappell, a consultant obstetrician specialising in women with medical problems in pregnancy, says it is understandable that there have been questions about the new vaccines but said that fearful claims, which can be found online, have never been substantiated.