CUACAS is hosting a follow up event to the first live Q&A in February in direct response to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It states that 44 percent of Black or Black British adults report vaccine hesitancy compared to just eight percent of White adults.
The first event did increase vaccine acceptance among the audience by 14 percent but CUACAS doctor leading the campaign, Krista Farrell, who is Consultant Neurologist at West Hertfordshire NHS trust, says the uptake needs to be higher:
“The next wave will come and if we don’t get vaccinated history will repeat itself. Africans and Caribbean's will be hit harder than every other group with localised outbreaks in our communities that we will not be able to control. We cannot allow this to happen, this is why we are in the heart of our communities trying to save lives.”
Farrell and other African and Caribbean medical practitioners, Dr Attah Ocholi, Dr Hamish Mohammed and Dr Sarah-Ann Filson want to prevent avoidable deaths and are working in concert with community-based DJs across the country to reach the most vaccine resistant and vulnerable members of the broader community.
They say: "We hope our second live stream in partnership with ‘Set The Trend Podcast’ will be even more successful. It takes place on Saturday March 27th between 22.00 - 23.30. Register for our event on Eventbrite."
CUACAS Secretary General Afua Kudom says Covid19 vaccination hesitancy can only be rectified with truth and then reconciliation.
"We acknowledge systemic racism and the impact it has on us. African and Caribbean people tend to experience much poorer medical outcomes than the rest of the UK population. Providing access to medical professionals from our respective communities increases trust and has proven to be a game changer for vaccine acceptance.”
CUACAS provides a place for graduates of African and Caribbean descent to connect and contribute to the development of current and future members. Its mission is to invest in, educate, and empower our local and broader communities.