Latest figures show that members of the Irish community are still coming forward to get their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination. Recent statistics have also found a noticeable decrease in the gap in vaccine coverage for most age groups, where it was previously found that the Irish population had slightly lower take up in comparison to the British population.
As of June 2022, an average of 86 percent of the Irish population in Britain have now received their first dose or more of the vaccine, which is a 4 percent increase since January 2022. These new figures show an average difference of just 6 percent between the Irish community and the rest of the British population, where currently 92 percent have received their first dose or more.
The increase of vaccine coverage among the Irish population in Britain is particularly prevalent between the 40-65 age group, a group that was of notable concern in previous vaccine coverage statistics by OpenSAFELY.* Now 85 percent of this age cohort of the Irish in Britain have received their first vaccine or more – a 6 percent increase since January 2022.
The Vaccine Le Chéile/Together campaign is a Covid-19 vaccine promotional campaign that provides Irish people and their networks living in Britain with evidence-based information to enable them to make positive informed choices regarding their health. This has been carried out by providing access to COVID-19 vaccine support information, creating FAQ videos and webpages, hosting an information workshop, and creating printable resources for member groups.
Sharon Robinson, Irish nurse in the NHS said:
"I am delighted to hear there has been an increase in the uptake of the Covid vaccination in the Irish community. It remains extremely important that we are all fully vaccinated. These new variants of Covid that are emerging show that for people who are vaccinated, the symptoms are very mild and are at reduced risk of developing many of the long-Covid symptoms, which can be very debilitating for many people post virus.
"Thank you so much to Irish in Britain's Vaccine le Cheile/Together campaign and to all of you who came forward. It is greatly appreciated"
Ellen Gavin, Health and Wellbeing Development Officer at Irish in Britain said:
“We are thrilled to receive the news that the Irish community in Britain are still coming forward to receive their Covid vaccines. Reducing the lower uptake figures in our community was the main aim of the Vaccine Le Chéile campaign, so to see this becoming a reality brings a real sense of pride.
"We really appreciate all the efforts and contributions made by the Irish community, our campaign supporters, and volunteers to help make this an impactful campaign. Thanks to everyone who played their part in keeping our community safe and healthy.
"To the Irish community in Britain, thank you for rolling up your sleeves and helping to protect our community’s health."
Find out more about Irish in Britain's Vaccine Le Chéile/Together campaign HERE.
*The OpenSAFELY platform collaborates with the NHS and facilitates timely and important COVID-19 research across 57 million people’s NHS records including 200,000 Irish people. Furthermore, OpenSAFELY data reports have helped to inform the Vaccine Le Chéile campaign launched by Irish in Britain earlier this year.