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COVID-19: nurses’ video urges peers to ‘protect your patients’ and get vaccine

Nursing team also address concerns among people from minority ethnic backgrounds

Nursing team also address concerns among people from minority ethnic backgrounds, in whom take-up is expected to be less than 60%

Vanida Moonsamy is one of the nurses in the Kingston University video urging people from minority ethnic backgrounds to ‘protect your patients’ and get the COVID-19 vaccine when offered
Vanida Moonsamy is one of the nurses in the video from Kingston University London urging staff to ‘protect your patients’ and get the COVID-19 vaccine

A team of nursing academics have released a video urging their peers to ‘protect your patients’ by having the COVID-19 vaccine.

In the video message, members of the nursing skills team at Kingston University London explain why they have had the vaccine to encourage others, including nursing students and members of the public, to have theirs.

Vaccine trial participants were from a range of ethnic backgrounds

Senior lecturer in simulated learning and clinical skills Sally Aucken says in the video: ‘Most people who get sick from the virus will only show symptoms approximately five days after being infected, but it can take up to 15 days in some cases. Protect your patients and those around you by having the vaccine.’

Associate professor in simulated learning and clinical skills Sally Richardson says: ‘Myself and my team have all had the vaccines to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our patients and the wider public.’

The video explains that clinical trials for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines included participants from black, African, Hispanic, Latino and Asian backgrounds.

Research suggests people from minority ethnic backgrounds have less confidence in the coronavirus vaccine than their white counterparts.

Only 57% of respondents from minority ethnic backgrounds likely to take coronavirus vaccine

An online poll of 2,076 UK adults, commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health in December 2020, suggested that 76% (1,577) would have a COVID-19 vaccine if advised to do so by their GP or health professional.

However, of 199 respondents from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, only 57% (113) were likely to have a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 79% (1,466) of 1,856 white respondents. Confidence was lowest among the 95 respondents of Asian ethnicity, of whom 55% (52) were likely to say yes to vaccination.

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Royal Society for Public Health online poll


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