Official data shows that Chinese adolescents in England are six times more likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 than in the Black Caribbean.
Three-quarters of Chinese students aged 12 to 15 have a coronavirus According to the Office for National Statistics, just one-eighth of Black Caribbean students jab.
According to statisticians, jabs have been available to the cohort since September and more than half had at least one jab by January 9.
Dr. Patrick Nguidop-Jomo, Clinical Epidemiologist, London The School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the disparity in uptake among some groups could be due to ‘less access to information around vaccines’ or to access to the vaccination sites themselves.
He said the data should ‘help inform and support the provision of immunization services and tailor-made communications for low-consumption areas and groups’.
The findings mirror sharper among adults, with data consistently showing willingness to come forward for a jab is low in some ethnic groups.
Researchers point to a lack of trust among vaccine promoters, a lack of accessible information, and inconvenient locations and jab appointment times.
The Office for National Statistics found that 52.5 percent of students aged 12 to 15 in England had had at least one Covid jab. But the proportion of this cohort varied greatly by age. Chinese (75.5 percent), Indians (65.7 percent) and white British (59.1 percent) were most likely to be vaccinated. But the uptake was six times lower among Black Caribbean (12.4 percent) and Gypsy or Roma groups (12.4 percent).
ONS data shows that the amount of vaccine increased with age, with 77.2 percent of 17-year-olds coming forward to have the vaccine at least once. Children aged 12 years had the least uptake, with 48.7 percent having had at least one injection. More than half of 13-year-olds had received the first dose, while the figures were slightly higher for children aged 14 (54.1 percent), 15 (56.4 percent) and 16 (66.7 percent).
ONS statisticians also found varied vaccination rates by region in England. As of January 9, children aged 12 to 15 in the Southeast were most likely to have a jaw (60.7 percent). London has one of the lowest job rates, at just 40.8 percent. In Yorkshire and the Humber (51.8 percent), the West Midlands (49.8 percent) and the North West (48.8 percent), immunization among pupils was below the national average.
According to ONS data, the level of deprivation also affected youth’s ability to vaccinate. In the country’s wealthiest areas (10 points on the deprivation scale), 70.3 percent of 12 to 15-year-olds are vaccinated, compared to nearly half (36.1 percent) of those living in the poorest. Parts of the country (that score one on the scale)
The ONS figures cover vaccination rates as of January 9, based on a database covering pupils among pupils in state-funded schools.
The researchers said there is a huge difference in jab rates among youth aged 12 to 15, depending on their ethnicity.
Data shows that three out of four Chinese students are vaccinated, compared to just 12.4 percent of Black Caribbean and Gypsy or Roma groups.
For comparison, 65.7 percent of Indian students and six in 10 white British and Irish students have a jab, the next most vaccinated group.
However, the ONS notes that despite white British students having the third highest jab uptake, most of England’s illiterate students are in this group.
The ONS said that of the country’s more than 1 million 12 to 15-year-olds, 650,000 (59.1 percent) are white British.
Dr Shamez Ladhani, a pediatrician at the UK Health Protection Agency and the study’s principal investigator, said the data ‘offers a real insight into attitudes towards vaccination – which have been proven to protect against hospitalization and serious illness’.
He said: ‘With Covid case rates currently high in school-age groups, it is important that we monitor and evaluate measures that help reduce transmission.
‘We need families and students to continue participating in this program.’
The ONS team also found that the use of the Kovid vaccine increased with age, with 77.2 percent of 17-year-olds coming forward for the job at least once.
Children aged 12 years had the least uptake, with 48.7 percent having had at least one injection.
More than half of 13-year-olds had received the first dose, while the figures were slightly higher for children aged 14 (54.1 percent), 15 (56.4 percent) and 16 (66.7 percent).
Jabs were offered to 16- and 17-year-olds on August 15, while 12- to 15-year-olds could get their first dose five weeks later, which may explain this disparity.
And the ONS noted that not all children in these age groups would currently be eligible for vaccination, such as those who tested positive in the past 12 weeks.
Statisticians also found that vaccination rates varied by region. Children in the Southeast were most likely to have a jaw fracture, with 60.7 percent of 12 to 15-year-olds having at least one jaw.
London has one of the lowest job rates, at just 40.8 percent.
In Yorkshire and the Humber (51.8 percent), the West Midlands (49.8 percent) and the North West (48.8 percent), immunization among pupils was below the national average.
According to ONS data, the level of deprivation also affected youth’s ability to vaccinate.
In the country’s wealthiest areas, 70.3 percent of 12 to 15-year-olds are vaccinated, compared to nearly half of those living in the poorest parts of the country (36.1 percent).
Students eligible for free school meals were also less likely to be vaccinated, as are children whose first language is not English.
Fiona Dawe, deputy director of Comprehensive Surveillance Studies at the ONS, said there are “many different factors” contributing to vaccine rates, including geography, deprivation and ethnicity.
He said that some inequalities across the country could be to different levels of deprivation in different regions.
It comes after ministers announced on Sunday that Covid would be offered to vulnerable children aged five to 11 in England, such as those with learning disabilities and diabetes.
The UK’s medicine watchdog approved a low-dose vaccine for the age group in December, saying it was safe and effective.
However, a questionnaire sent by the ONS to more than 3,000 parents in England found that 24 percent were unlikely to agree to a job for their child.
Concerns about side effects and wanting to see how effective it is across age groups were cited as the main reasons for parental hesitation, the researchers said.