THE government’s refusal to prioritise minority ethnic groups for Covid-19 vaccines has put them at significantly higher risk of illness and death from the virus, doctors have warned. 

In a report published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine today, three public-health doctors assert that Britain’s “colour-blind” vaccination programme “disregards the unequal impact of the pandemic on minority ethnic groups.”

Vaccine advisers have rejected calls to prioritise such groups for the jab despite evidence that they are at higher risk of illness and death from Covid-19.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination & Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended an age-based approach instead, but the report warns that current plans could have devastating consequences for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and exacerbate existing health inequalities. 

“The invisibility of these vulnerable groups from the priority list and the worsening healthcare inequities and inequalities are putting ethnic minorities at a significantly higher risk of Covid-19 illness and death,” it says.

“The UK’s colour-blind vaccination model disregards the unequal impact of the pandemic on minority ethnic groups, rendering it an enabler of structures that are known to systematically disadvantage BAME communities.”

The report also warns that ineffective vaccine allocation strategies “likely play a role in the high levels of vaccine hesitancy observed across ethnic minorities.” It suggests that probable key factors include a lack of trust due to experiences of racism, low confidence in the safety or efficacy of the vaccine and limited endorsements from trusted community leaders.

Lead author Professor Azeem Majeed, of the department of primary care & public health at Imperial College London, said: “If insufficient numbers of individuals from BAME communities are vaccinated, the virus will continue to spread among these groups, putting the general population at risk.”

Prof Majeed also warned that dismissing the social factors that disadvantage ethnic groups could “result in a devastating impact lasting far beyond the end of the pandemic.”

“Controlling further outbreaks and ultimately ending the pandemic will require implementation of approaches that target ethnic minorities as well as ensuring vaccine allocation strategies are effective, fair and justifiable for all,” he said.

Labour MP Apsana Begum said the findings lay bare “the devastating consequences of the UK government’s refusal to tackle the disproportionality of Covid deaths” for BAME people. 

“It’s clear from this report that the abject failure of Tory ministers to acknowledge this by prioritising vaccines for the black and ethnic minority communities is causing more people to die in the pandemic,” she told the Morning Star.

PCS union vice-president Zita Holbourne said that the greater risks for BAME people “should have been seriously considered from the onset of the vaccination programme.”

“I have seen no evidence of any equality impact assessment conducted when ranking the groups,” she told the Star. “And while some equality factors such as age and disability have been taken into consideration, the lives of black and minority ethnic people … have been disregarded by the government and their advisers as less relevant or important.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:

“The independent JCVI’s advice on Covid-19 vaccine prioritisation was developed with the aim of preventing as many deaths as possible, with older age being the single greatest risk of death. We are following the JCVI recommendations so that we save lives.

“We have invested millions into research into ethnic disparities and Covid-19 and established a new NHS Race and Health Observatory to tackle the specific health challenges facing people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

“We want every eligible person to benefit from a free vaccine and will continue to work closely with the NHS to support anyone who has questions.”