we are writing to ask you to review the strategy and to ensure that ethnicity
is taken into account when making decisions to vaccinate healthcare workers as well
as the general population. we believe that you have an overriding
responsibility to ensure that policy implementation in these matters which are of
enormous importance to the public, especially the BAME community, are done so to
protect the vulnerable community.

we are writing to you now to raise our concerns about the heartening
news about the vaccines for Covid-19, and yet the negative momentum that seems to be
building around it especially from the BAME community. You will be aware that our
organisation was the first to raise concerns about the loss of BAME doctors in our letter to
you and others on 7 April 2020. Unfortunately, the government and the NHS were slow to
react to that letter and therefore we feel that lessons need to be learned and early
engagement with those in leadership positions will help put the right context in the debate
on the vaccine.

Health and social care workers

The committee considers frontline health and social care workers who provide care to vulnerable people a high priority for vaccination. Prioritisation among health and social care workers

Frontline health and social care workers at high risk of acquiring infection, at high individual risk of developing serious disease, or at risk of transmitting infection to multiple vulnerable persons or other staff in a healthcare environment, are considered of higher priority for vaccination than those at lower risk. This prioritisation should be taken into account during vaccine deployment.