Vaccine in USA
Globally evidence has demonstrated that COVID-19 has not turned out to be “The great leveler” as per media and statements from science pundits. Racial and ethnic minorities have suffered disproportionately even after controlling for income and underlying health conditions.
America’s second most – “whitest” State after (Maine) on the 1 April 2021 made all non-white residents and those in their households, eligible for the vaccine. In contrast white Vermonters had to have pre-existing conditions, care givers and a range of other criteria.
Vermont Is not the only State to have considered race in vaccine distribution, Montana and Utah gave precedence to racial and ethnic minorities in their first phase of vaccination. Other areas including Rhode Island, Texas and Washington DC used post codes (Zip Codes) to focus on non-white communities.
No such actions or conversations in the UK- Why Not?
Gene Therapy hub Network
Nothing in mainstream media to inform the public that 18 million pounds of investment have been awarded to the creation of the above Network by LifeArc, Medical Research Council and Biotech Social Research Council to advance the clinical development of new gene therapy treatments to be located in in London, Bristol and Sheffield.
This is something to be welcomed -However sadly inclusion is not on the agenda at Board level and staffing where will ethnic or racial differences in health appear on their agenda I wonder?
End of Malaria
Our colleagues from Africa and Asia report great hopes that Oxford University’s Jenner Institutes long running research into malaria vaccine will prove to be one of 2021’s major milestones. Malaria kills half a million people a year mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Two thirds of its victims are children under five. We will keep a close watch on developments and hope that low cost-effective vaccine will be easy to roll out at speed – Time we celebrated Vaccines.
