As London falls behind the rest of the country with its vaccine rollout, NHS figures show that one of the worst vaccination rates is in East London.
The UK vaccination programme began in the second week of December 2020, and in terms of vaccinations given each day peaked in mid-January, but has been declining since. Despite the opening of more vaccine centres, the ultimate responsibility for choosing to get injected sits with individuals.
The John Scott Centre in Hackney had to close early on three days last week due to ‘really low patient uptake’, despite being open to people from 40 different GP surgeries. The sudden drop off in appointments is concerning.
The coronavirus could spread “like wildfire” through unvaccinated communities.
The NHS has worked hard to share information showing that the vaccines approved for use in the UK have met the strict standards for safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
And yet surveys show that a significant minority of the public continue to be resistant. A YouGov survey carried out in June last year found that around one in six British people were unlikely to agree to being vaccinated against coronavirus, and a more recent survey linked to Imperial College found that 31% of people in the UK were resistant.
Zuleica, 29, lives in East London and is one of those who does not intend to be vaccinated. “After doing my research, I found that I could get heart inflammation, respiratory problems, kidney damage, skin problems and even hair loss and that scares me a lot.”
On Wednesday last week Government vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi told the London Assembly that his “big fear” was that the coronavirus could spread “like wildfire” through unvaccinated communities.