UK minister: vaccine passports would be discriminatory

Despite Britains relative progress in its vaccination rollout, a report from British health authorities suggests that the majority of people from minority communities have not yet been vaccinated. According to the report published by the Royal College of General Practitioners, 91 percent of people who have so far received a coronavirus vaccine in Britain are white, two percent are Black, while five percent are from an Asian background. Religious and cultural beliefs are believed to in some cases encourage vaccine skepticism among minority communities.

Dr Michael Dawes, from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, told British broadcaster Sky News he was shocked to hear one of his colleagues, a Black nurse, said she refused the vaccine because her pastor told her to.

Member of UK Parliament for Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood, said doctors in her constituency have reported vaccine hesitancy among Black and Asian communities. More than 11 million people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine in the UK, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said.

He added that a vaccination "passport" is not being considered as vaccinations are voluntary, and such a move would be both discriminatory and could also send the wrong signal at a time when the vaccine's impact on transmission was still unclear.

Zahawi said doctors will provide citizens with a card stating the date of when the vaccine was received, which could be used as proof that may be required for some essential travel.

Image: AP