People of colour must be prioritised for the Covid vaccine - unless we want history to repeat itself

If we are to avoid compounding inequality we saw during the first wave, then we need to plan ahead for when a vaccine becomes available, writes Ian Hamilton

Bame frontline NHS workers are exposed to the virus (PA)

The good news is that Pfizer has said its new covid vaccine is 94 per cent effective, based on the results of their phase three trial data. The research also provides encouragement for the black and ethnic minority (Bame) community, with 42 per cent of participants from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This level of protection matters for all but especially for individuals from the Bame community as they have been disproportionately affected by covid in terms of infection and fatalities.

Deaths during the first wave of the pandemic were not spread equally as black men were nearly three times more likely to die as a result of contracting covid than their white peers. For Pakistani men, the increased risk of death was double and for Bangladeshi men it was 2.5 times that of white men. Bame women were also at increased risk of death due to covid compared to white women.

Rather than view this as the result of some genetic difference, the inconvenient truth is that this elevated risk is due to racism. Although in theory the NHS should offer services in a free and equitable way this is not the experience of some from the Bame community. The route into healthcare and then onto treatment is riddled with discrimination – some of it overt and some of it subtle. People from Bame communities can be reluctant to seek help with covid, in part due to lack of services in areas where they live but also due to the perception that they won’t be offered the same care and treatment as their white counterparts.