UK: Black and south Asian population told to get vaccinated citing higher death rates

Experts have revealed that Covid-related death rates are higher in unvaccinated Black and South Asian people. Keeping this in mind, doctors have urged unvaccinated Black and south Asian population to get Covid jabs as soon as possible.

The data was revealed in a government report on Friday that tackled the issue of COVID-19 disparities. Expert and the author of the report, Dr Raghib Ali, claims that as per the collected data in the past year, death rate is higher in the ethnic minority groups. He revealed that the Black and south Asian population have been understood to be more at risk in the first two waves of the coronavirus pandemic, especially the older generation of these minority groups.

Growing disparity

While the ethnic minority groups are no longer prone to getting infected, the hospitalisation and death rates are still high in these groups, he revealed.

"In the third wave to date, a different pattern is emerging with infection rates in ethnic minorities now lower than in whites, but rates of hospital admissions and deaths are still higher, with the pattern now matching levels of vaccine uptake in older and other higher risk groups," Ali said. "I'm confident this is being driven by vaccination rates."

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This disparity is also evident in the data collected by the experts of the Oxford University. The data has suggested that more than 90 per cent of the White population has been vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus, but the Black population is still 20 per cent lacking and south Asian population lagging even more in some areas.

"Although vaccine uptake in all ethnic minorities has increased very significantly over the last year, the proportion unvaccinated is roughly twice as high in south Asian people and four times as high in Black people," Ali warned.

Occupational risk

Report also suggested that the Black population suffered more in the first months of the pandemic as a result of occupational risk as the group was a large part of the social and health care world. In the second wave the south Asian groups suffered more as they were the ones living in shared houses which increased their chances of getting infected from others.

Jabs can save us

He also stressed that this data throws light on experts' repeated requests of getting jabbed against Covid as these vaccines may be the best way to protect oneself from the deadly pandemic. "This recent data is another reminder that the vaccines are the best way to protect yourselves and your elderly relatives, especially if you live in a multi-generational household, and it is never too late to come and take your first dose," he said.