Thousands of pensioners among first to get Covid-19 vaccine in South London

Thousands of pensioners, care home residents and staff were the first to get jabs against Covid-19 last week as four hospital trusts spearheaded the vaccination programme.

But town hall leaders say some black and ethnic minority people – the worst-hit community by the virus – fear the vaccine’s effects and will refuse to have it.

Lambeth’s cabinet member for health, Councillor Jim Dickson, wrote on our letters page: “Some fear the vaccine is an unproven new drug and others that it has been approved too quickly.

“Nearly a quarter of the population, who we might define as ‘vaccine hesitant’, will need convincing that the immunisation is safe.

“Others in black and minority ethnic communities (BAME) wonder whether the institutional racism experienced in every other walk of life might mean the vaccine is riskier for them.

“It would be a huge injustice if communities already blighted by Covid were excluded from the hope of a return to a normal life.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson watched at the trust which saved his life in April, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, as Lyn Wheeler, 81, from Bromley, got the first jab of the German-made Pfizer drug.

The biggest immunisation programme in UK history was also started at King’s College Hospital, St George’s Hospital and Croydon Health Services NHS Trusts.

Retired butcher George Dyer, 90 from Norbury, and long-standing NHS volunteer, was one of the first in the world to get the Covid-19 vaccine, at Croydon University Hospital just after 7am last Tuesday morning.

The hospital was one of the worst hit for coronavirus in London, with 27 deaths within a week of the start of lockdown.

Other Lambeth councillors expressed concern BAME people would not take the vaccine.

Cllr Marianna Masters said: “The disproportionality of BAME Covid-19 deaths has deepened the level of mistrust.

“Some are suspicious of being classified as vulnerable for the vaccine when, by contrast, they are not classified as vulnerable when it comes to trying to get jobs, housing and healthcare.

“There are also many false claims about the lack of robust data and trials in poorer third world countries resulting in people dying after a Covid-19 vaccine.”

Cllr Jacqui Dyer, Lambeth’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “We are asking them to make informed considered choices and we are here to help them with that rather than impose a bias.

“I think we won’t build trust if we try to push a certain position on people.”

Pictured top: George Dyer