'There is a lot of pure lies and unfounded myths' - hospital workers record videos to say to ethnic groups Covid jab is safe

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust says low take up of the jab among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups is a national problem.

It has released a number of social media videos recorded in various languages appealing to the local BAME community, who are also at greater risk of developing serious illnesses from Covid-19, to get the vaccine when offered it.

They feature members of the trust’s pharmacy and medical teams who aim to break down language barriers and myths about the vaccine and explain that it is safe.

Trust medical director Deepak Dwarakanath said: “The vaccine is safe. We are very confident about that.

“But we know there is a lot of nonsense out there, pure lies and unfounded myths. Also, there are some cultural hurdles such as language and tradition that need to be cleared.

“Recording these appeals for social media, that can be easily shared or shown to family members on the phone, is a quick and easy way to reach people in different communities.”

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Umair Hamid, associate chief pharmacist for operations, said it is really important that members of the local Asian community do their bit to protect their families and themselves from the virus.

“We’ve administered around 7,000 vaccines already and really hope that this will protect people we work with and care for,”

Pharmacist Esther Cheung, who is originally from Hong Kong, recorded a video in Cantonese.

She said: “The message I want to get out to the local Chinese community is that the vaccine is safe and effective.”

Other videos have been recorded in Arabic and Mandarin, with more videos, including in Urdu and Punjabi, to follow shortly.

The Trust is also appealing for members of the BAME community to record and share their own social media videos encouraging their peers to take up the vaccine.

All the videos can be viewed on YouTube and will be shared via North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust’s social media feeds.

The trust is also asking the public to share the videos and directly show them to people within their households or support bubbles to help spread the message.

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