The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccination rollout enabled a "perfect storm" for deepening health inequalities in Greater Manchester, the results of a study have shown. Research led by University of Manchester academics, examined the attitudes of people from minoritized ethnic groups, young adults and those with long-term physical and mental health conditions toward the COVID-19 vaccination program. Researchers found that a "perfect storm" of marginalization and experience of structural inequalities led to distrust of the COVID-19 vaccination drive—and that marginalized communities felt "left behind" by policy and decision-makers prior to and during the pandemic .
The study, published in BMC Public Health , concludes that wider social inequalities, combined with experiences of marginalization and discrimination, have long-lasting and widespread implications for vaccination uptake and health outcomes . During the pandemic, Greater Manchester experienced higher levels of mortality from COVID-19, higher case rates and greater impacts to productivity than the national average—with disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality rates in the most deprived areas and among Black African, Pakistani and Black Caribbean groups. "We found that wider social inequalities, intersecting with experiences of marginalization during the pandemic, have long-lasting and widespread implications when it comes to vaccination—and public health policy must recognize this broader context for fut.
