Earlier today, during his update to the House on the vaccine roll-out, I asked the Minister responsible what steps the Government are taking to work with community leaders and others to ensure that every part of our community comes forward and gets the vaccine.
I welcomed today’s news that the over-45s are being invited to receive their first dose of the vaccine, and I thanked everyone in Carshalton and Wallington who is involved in the roll-out.
I recently held a vaccine roundtable with NHS leaders in Carshalton and Wallington to encourage everyone, including ethnic minority groups, to come forward and get the vaccine when their time comes.
I was pleased to hear that almost 90,000 people in Sutton have now had their first dose of the vaccine, and that the Government and the NHS are working closely with faith and community leaders to help to spread information about vaccines through trusted, familiar voices and in a range of different languages and settings. That also means leveraging the influence of celebrity figures such as Sir Lenny Henry and the powerful and incredibly moving “call to action” letter and video to black and Afro-Caribbean communities.
The Government is also working to support the vaccine programme over important religious observances such as Ramadan, which begins today, working with the Muslim community and reiterating the verdict of Islamic scholars and key Muslim figures within the NHS that the vaccine does not break the fast and is permissible.
So please, do come and get your vaccine.
