UK Christian leaders have joined with the National Health Service in a campaign to tackle misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in Black majority communities and churches.
The ‘Give Hope’ campaign, organised by the YourNeighbour movement which involves more than 1,000 churches, is encouraging Christians to start conversations around the coronavirus vaccines within their communities to, according to a statement, “dispel fake news, allay fears and come together to give hope and hasten the end of COVID-19”.
The campaign has also partnered with behavioural scientists in a bid to better understand the complexities around vaccine hesitancy and how to work with communities to build trust and uptake in the vaccine.
People receiving COVID-19 vaccines in Salisbury Cathedral. PICTURE: Supplied.
Russ Rook, co-founder of YourNeighbour, said the campaign we will be “supporting Christian leaders and activists to change the narrative around the COVID-19 vaccines in their communities” in the coming months.
“By helping to communicate directly with hard to reach groups that may miss out, facilitating clear and kind conversations with some who may be reticent and providing practical support to those who need it, UK churches are playing a vital role in our country’s recovery from COVID-19,” he said.
The campaign cites concerns, expressed by the chief executive of NHS England recently, that uptake of coronavirus vaccines may be lower among minority ethnic groups. A recent poll by the Royal Society for Public Health, involving some 2000 UK adults, which found that three quarters (76 per cent) of people overall would willingly have a COVID-19 vaccination – but this fell to 57 per cent of respondents from minority ethnic backgrounds.
The campaign has received support from Anglican, Methodist, Salvation Army, Baptist, pentecostal, evangelical and Black majority church leaders from across the UK.
The Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Church of England’s Bishop of Dover, said there were “distracting voices in our black and minority ethnic communities spreading doubt and alarm”.
“[W]hile I understand the fear and concern, listening to those voices alone will rob us of the need to live flourishing lives with our families and friends. These vaccines offer us a path through the pandemic, giving us hope, strength and the chance of safety. If the vaccine was good enough for Her Majesty, then it is good enough for us.”
Resources for this taking part in the campaign can be found at www.yourneighbour.org.
