Scientists discuss COVID-19 vaccine concerns and uptake in Black communities

Two Imperial vaccine researchers discuss vaccine concerns and why there is low COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Black communities in a new video.

Leon McFarlane and Hadijatou Sallah from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London talk about the safety of the vaccines, the importance of vaccinations and why new approaches are needed to engage with Black communities.

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More than 17 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine but there are concerns about low uptake of the vaccine in ethnic minority groups – particularly those from Black groups.  A recent report found that just 58 per cent of Black people aged 70 and over had received a first dose, compared to 88 per cent of white people.  

The low rates are concerning as the pandemic has disproportionally affected Black people; they are four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white people.

Leon and Hadijatou are part of a team using RNA Vaccine technology to develop vaccines that could target coronavirus mutations and provide boosters for current vaccines