Hanan, a Somali community leader, has received the first vaccine at Women’s Inclusive Team’s Mayfield House community well-being hub in Bethnal Green as part of a new service to provide Black and ethnic minority Tower Hamlets residents the Covid-19 vaccination.
WIT’s strong engagement with ethnic minority communities in Tower Hamlets, especially the Somali community, the borough’s largest Black community, means the vaccine will reach people whose lives are most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Evidence has shown that people from ethnic minorities are more likely to be affected by the outbreak due to a number of issues including difficulties in understanding national information and guidance; misinformation about the vaccine circulating on social media and group texts; and uncertainties about the health impact of the vaccine.
WIT is offering the Covid-19 vaccine in a trusted and familiar environment where patients can communicate in their native Somali language. The vaccine service is supported by the Excel community outreach vaccination service and Barts Health.
“I was also able to ask questions in my language and the trusted staff were so welcoming and made me feel calm before and after my vaccine. The Somali community must not be scared to be vaccinated, be informed and make the right choice,” she said.
Another Somali community leader has said: “All my friends told me not to come and stay at home but I decided to go to Mayfield House to get my vaccination. I know the people there and they speak my language, which meant that I could ask any questions to trusted community women.”