As Royal Founding Patron of the British Asian Trust, The Prince of Wales spoke of his concern about the ‘variable uptake of the vaccines’ among ethnic minorities in the UK last week, encouraging everyone who was offered the jab to get it.
Prince Charles also praised the ‘superhero effect’ of frontline healthcare workers in his comments, whilst opening a webinar, ‘Covid-19 Vaccine – Facts for the BAME Community’, which was organised by the British Asian Trust.
The Prince of Wales opened the British Asian Trust’s webinar: ‘Covid-19 Vaccine – Facts for the BAME Community’. (IMAGE: British Asian Trust/Youtube).
Delivering the opening remarks the Prince said: “Ladies and Gentleman, in view about my concern about the health and welfare of our ethnic minority communities I’m so glad to be able to introduce this crucially important discussion on vaccination.
“I am indebted I must say to my British Asian Trust for organising this and also to our highly valued speakers for giving their time to take part when I know just how incredibly busy they all are. Everyone present today represents the collective effort we have made as a society to combat this relentless pandemic.
“Over the past year we have all been inspired by innumerable accounts of dedication to duty not only from those working tirelessly in our marvellous National Health Service or in social care but also in al forms of public service as well as of course in business industry, commerce and the voluntary sector. We have needed every last reserve of their selfless service and commitment to help defeat this pernicious threat.”
Speaking at a British Asian Trust webinar, Prince Charles has said #COVID19 vaccinations “will save lives” and “allow us to start to hope that things might return, in some sense, to normal”.
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— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 18, 2021
The future king continued: “Recently I fear we have reached a most sobering milestone in this seemingly interminable campaign as we marked the tragic loss of 100,000 souls.
“It is clear that the virus has affected all parts of the country, and all parts of society. But it is also clear that there are particular challenges faced in particular sections of our society, especially in some ethnic minority communities.
“What saddens me even further is to hear that those challenges are being made even worse by the variable uptake of the vaccines, which finally offers a way out of the suffering of the past year.”
Our aim is to share important information about the #COVID19 vaccine to address hesitancies in the #BAME communities. Delighted that @ClarenceHouse supported the webinar! https://t.co/1g4Uopszkf
— British Asian Trust (@britishasiantst) February 19, 2021
Charles recently received his first dose of the vaccine.
“The production of the vaccines in such an incredibly short time scale must rank as one of the greatest scientific achievements of our time. It has been the result of tremendous international cooperation, generous financial investment by nations and private companies and represents an unprecedented and super human effort by our medical experts.
“Therefore it is surely a tragedy that the benefits of such an extraordinary achievement should not be experienced by everybody.
“Which is why I am so very grateful for all those who have come together here today to help ensure people of whatever background are enabled to take up the vaccine.”
The Prince of Wales recently visited a hospital in Birmingham to thank NHS staff who have been vaccinating people against COVID-19. (IMAGE: Clarence House/Twitter).
Alongside The Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince recently visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham to thank volunteers for taking part in clinical trials and NHS workers.
In his speech, he mirrors the recent engagement by singling out those who have come out of retirement to support their colleagues working on the frontline.
“Over the years, I have become increasingly convinced that deep-seated problems are always most effective. It’s addressed when we work with local communities to understand their context, and then to build their trust.
“It is an approach that works as my mosaic initiative has powerfully demonstrated working with muslim communities and their peers to encourage social mobility for young people and communities alike,” Charles added, “so I am enormously heartened that this vexing issue of low vaccination rates we can call upon the ready and heartfelt commitment of those who have not only the most preeminent expertise but also crucially the understanding of and the respect of their communities.’
The Prince of Wales concluded his speech by emphasising the importance of the vaccination and how it will ultimately ‘save lives’, ‘prevent serious illness’, ‘protect our health service’ and ‘allow us to start to hope that things might return in some sense to normal for every member of our society as you undertake this absolutely vital work.’
The British Asian Trust was founded in 2007 by The Prince of Wales along with a group of British Asian business leaders. The main aim of the Trust was to engage in reducing the extensive poverty in South Asia. Last February, The Prince of Wales held a reception for the Trust and welcomed new ambassador Katy Perry, one of the final few engagements he carried out before lockdown began.
