Issue - meetings
COVID 19 UPDATE
Meeting: 06/04/2021 - Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board (Item 5)
5 Covid 19 and vaccination update PDF 586 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Board received and noted update on Covid-19 and the vaccination update. The main points arising from the discussions on this item may be summarised as follows:
The Board noted
v If you do have the vaccine your chances of getting Covid are reduced by at least 80 percent and you are also less likely to pass Covid to your family and friends.
v 81 percent of the 65 plus age group have been vaccinated which is a little below the London average and London itself is below the national average.
v Noted that initially the Borough saw some significant disparities between the different ethnic groups. However, that disparity has now been reduced between the White population and the Asian population. However, it was noted that with the Black Population vaccinations have been increasing quite slowly and what is now evidenced from the emerging data from the second dose is that there are disparities again between the White population and the Asian and Black populations.
v Noted the importance of personal stories increasing confidence in the vaccine from those people who have had the vaccination, trusted figures within the community on social media and through other routes.
v Observed that ease of access is an important issue and there are only two vaccination sites within the Borough and then there the mass vaccination sites at Westfield and the Excel. Therefore there has been considerable discussion around the importance of ease of access. Therefore, work is being done around what the GP care group and AT medics are doing regarding community clinics and increasing access in the local general practices.
v Agreed that people need to understand why the vaccine it is so important, and a lot of advice and support is being provided in a range of community languages and formats.
v Noted that there has been a considerable amount of co-production working with organisations commissioned through the voluntary sector, particularly Bangladeshi; Somali; People with Disabilities and a number of faith settings.
v Was informed that there is a small grants programme aimed at supporting community clinics such as the London Muslim Centre and, Somali Centre which have all been successful.
v Noted that the vaccine roadshow has been working particularly in areas of low uptake.
v Agreed that Ramadan is a really important issue and noted that there is the consensus position from the British Islamic Medical Association, which says that having the vaccination does not invalidate the fast.