70 per cent of over 12s in some Bradford areas unvaccinated

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One Councillor has questioned whether any public health messaging will reach these people, and if continued campaigns were a waste of money.

A report on how Bradford was ‘living with Covid’ was presented to members of Bradford Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee on Thursday evening.

Members heard that there was a huge disparity in vaccine take up in different parts of the District.

While over 70 per cent of people over the age of 12 in areas like Ilkley and Baildon had received at least one Covid jab, in areas including Keighley Central, Heaton, Manningham and Bowling and Barkerend that figure was lower than 30 per cent.

Members of the Council’s public health team detailed what they were doing to get more people to take up both the Covid vaccine and this years flu jab – for which there is also a low take up.

New campaigns aimed at harder to reach groups were among the ideas to boost vaccine take up.

Councillor Paul Godwin (Lab, Keighley West) has worked in the pathology department of Airedale Hospital and sits on the committee.

He said Covid now “meant nothing” to many, and pointed out how difficult it will be to encourage the remaining unvaccinated people to change thier minds.

He said: “When I’ve tried to get people vaccinated for flu there have been times where I’ve had a box with 2,000 doses and I’ve only used 200.”

He suggested now may be a time when Covid is treated in a similar way to flu – people can get annual vaccinations to reduce the danger of the disease, but it is no longer treated as a major public health priority.

He said: “Even if public health still see Covid as a major priority, most people don’t. As a disease it will likely rumble on forever, just like flu.

“We can’t afford to keep putting resources into it.”

He told the meeting he had had four doses of the vaccine, adding: “There was a time where vaccines were accepted as a general good.

“Now I’ve had people tell me they can’t have the vax for off-the-wall reasons, and telling me they’ll never vote Labour because we support Covid vaccines.”

He questioned whether public health messaging will ever reach people who have so far refused the vaccine – which was first made available almost two years ago.

“They would get it if they want to. Not getting it is their decision, just as someone might decide to smoke or drink themselves to death,” he said.

“We’re spending money chasing people who have had plenty of chances to get the vaccine.”

Caroline Tomes, Consultant in Public Health, said: “I would still say it is very important to encourage people to get the vaccine. It is one of the best forms of protection – we have seen that across the years.

“We have the advantage of living in a country that has such a good history of vaccinations, and we don’t always remember the real risks diseases pose if people are not vaccinated against them.

“We can see that the number of people who got seriously ill with Covid was much higher before the vaccine than it is now.”

Jorge Zepeda, Senior Health Protection Manager, said misinformation was one cause of low vaccine take up. He added: “That is what happened with the measles outbreak in 2018.

“Thanks to misinformation some people stopped seeing vaccines as a normal part of health care and began to see it as a conspiracy against human rights.

“After access to clean water, vaccines are what saves most lives in the world.”

Councillor Alun Griffiths (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley) said: “If people are stupid enough not to get the vaccine, you can say that’s their problem – Darwin rules.

“But it is hard on the other people who these idiots aren’t protecting. People are dying of cancer because the health service is so busy dealing with people who have Covid.”

Sue Crowe, committee member and member of the Bradford District Assembly Health and Well Being Forum, said: “Getting people to get the vaccine must be link banging your head against a wall. A lot of people think they have come this far without it so don’t need it.”

The meeting also heard about Long Covid and how it was being dealt with in the District. Councillor Ruth Wood (Lab, Royds) said one constituent with the condition had told her she was unhappy with the support from doctors she had received.

Cllr Godwin claimed that unfortunately there was little anyone in the medical community could currently due to reverse Long Covid. He said: “Patients don’t feel they get what they should, but unfortunately it is unrealistic that they can offer any more.

“A large proportion of people with Long Covid are in a position where doctors can do very little to help them. Some people have lung damage that may be with them for the rest of their lives.”