I am very interested (and concerned) about the situation for BAME people in UK. It has been suggested that these ethnic groups are more vulnerable in their bodies' poor resistance to Covid 19, and infection/death rates are noticeably higher.
There have been several possible reasons mooted in the BMJ :-
- BAME households often have several generations of families, and the vectors are therefore increased.
- The culture of BAME people promotes suspicion of the motives behind mass vaccination, and a reluctance to take up offers of a vaccine.
- BAME people often live in deprived areas, and their general health is poorer than that of other ethnicities
- Due to much darker skin, BAME people in UK climate have low vitamin D levels, and there is a school of thought that vitamin D protects to some extent from Covid 19.
Now I find quite a bit of this objectionably racist to say the least. Lumping all BAME people together is absurd. UK has so many different types of environment and climate, so it isn't very scientific.
To consider Black, Asian and Middle-Eastern origin folk as one group is not workable. And there are poor, unhealthy people of all races (including whites) to be found in various places around the UK.
Now my husband is extremely black (W African) but has taken vitamin D supplements ever since his arrival here. He is not 'poor' or suspicious of the governments motives. He will gladly have the vaccine just as soon as it is offered to him. And I think it should be soon, as his risk is in cleaning a high school where pupils are still attending. He has to wear a mask, but cleans toilets of staff and pupils.
His union ('Unison') is starting to agitate for cleaning staff to cease working as the conditions are not safe.