A BRADFORD doctor who regularly writes a coronavirus 'diary' for the BBC has taken a look at ethnic disparities in Bradford's vaccine take-up.

Professor John Wright, who is the director of the Bradford Institute of Health Research at Bradford Royal Infirmary, says that Covid vaccinations have been "administered at pace in Bradford, as in the rest of the UK" in his latest BBC contribution.

But figures for December and January, however, suggest a high level of refusal among those aged 80 or over in the Pakistani community, he says.

By the end of January, 67,000 people in Bradford had received at least one Covid vaccination.

This number included 82.5 per cent of those who are aged 80 and above - which Professor Wright describes as "an important achievement and a big step towards protecting the most vulnerable".

But he adds that, after digging "a little deeper", there are some "concerning" numbers in the data.

Statistics show that, within the white British and mixed-race British categories, 87 per cent of those aged 80 or above have been vaccinated.

In contrast, only 46 per cent of the 1,800 people aged 80 and over in Bradford's Pakistani and British-Pakistani community have been vaccinated. Furthermore, 23 per cent have refused the vaccine.

An infographic also shows that 14.9 per cent of Bangladeshis in Bradford who are aged 80 or over have refused the vaccine, as have 13.8 per cent of those who fall into the 'Asian other' category.

9.2 per cent of black people in Bradford who are aged 80 and above have refused the vaccine, and six per cent of Indian people in Bradford aged 80 and above have done so too.

This is in contrast to just three per cent of white British people in Bradford who are 80 or over refusing it.

In his BBC entry, Professor Wright adds: "Among the 30 per cent of those aged 80 or over in the Pakistani community who have neither been vaccinated nor refused the vaccine, it's likely that some - perhaps many - are undecided.

"I hope that we will yet persuade them to have the jab, because anyone who doesn't remains at risk as long as the virus is circulating, which is likely to be for some months yet.

"Vaccine hesitancy is nothing new. On the website of the Science Museum you can see a framed reproduction of some data about smallpox cases, published in the Times in July 1923.

"We were already aware, thanks to a survey by researchers at Born in Bradford and the Bradford Institute for Health Research, that South Asian and Eastern European communities were more likely to be unsure about the vaccine, or opposed to it, than others.

"Socio-economic status also plays a role, the researchers discovered, with these hesitant or sceptical attitudes more common in less well-off households.

"Overall they found that 30 per cent of people were ready for the vaccine and 10 per cent would refuse it, with the majority undecided.

"Interviews to explore these attitudes further showed that much of the hesitancy was nuanced and understandable. In many cases people realised that the vaccine was the only way out of this pandemic, but still had concerns."

Professor Wright added that the vaccine is safe to take, despite some of the fears which may exist.

"Some worried about safety, aware that this vaccine had been developed at speed - in 10 months rather than 10 years, which would be a more typical timeframe.

"Maurice Hilleman, the famous microbiologist responsible for developing over 40 vaccines - including vaccines for Asian and Hong Kong flu - famously said that he only breathed a sigh of relief when three million doses of a vaccine had been given. Our respondents echoed his anxiety.

"But now that nearly 12 million doses have been given in the UK alone, the evidence is overwhelming: the vaccine is safe. We need to find a way of getting this information across.

"To combat this misinfo-demic, we are working with people from within BAME communities.

"Faith leaders have endorsed the Covid vaccine by having the injection themselves. On Thursday a pop-up vaccination centre will open in a mosque in Keighley. Hopefully it will be the first of many.

"We have also set up a fantastic network of bright, young ambassadors from within the BAME community, to fight misinformation with truth. Very often those who are vaccine-hesitant have a limited grasp of the science, our ambassadors can help fill in the gaps in their knowledge, and provide reassurance.

"Jordan Lee, a 20-year-old studying clinical sciences at the University of Bradford, is one of them.

"He notes that his own family are more inclined to trust rumours they find on social media than information from their GP's surgery. If anyone can persuade them to change their mind, it will be Jordan."

Professor Wright also looked back at one of his previous diary entries.

"Regular readers of this diary may remember Abdul Majid, a science graduate whose father, Abdul Saboor, has been in intensive care since October", he said.

"He says a great variety of conspiracy theories are swirling around, generating much discussion in Bradford's Pakistani community. Some are saying they will have the vaccination, others that they won't.

"At this present time I'm scared to take the vaccine," Abdul Majid says.

"So, you know, I'm just waiting to see what reaction people get."