The Gandhian spirit of protecting the society’s most vulnerable is being invoked by health officials as the UK reached a milestone of administering over 11 million life-saving jabs this week, covering most care home residents and staff and the top priority groups most at risk of dying from Covid-19.
Ian Turner, Executive Chair of the Registered Nursing Home Association – an association representing the interests of care homes, said: “As Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable’, the pandemic has brought that quotation to the fore.
“On behalf of all the residents of older people’s care home, their families and those who have continued to provide care and support to them during the pandemic, I would like to express their heart felt gratitude to all those involved in the vaccination programme.
“From the scientists and researchers, those who participated and managed the trials, to the regulators and manufacturers of the vaccine through to the whole NHS vaccination teams wherever they may be working, we want to thank them for their extraordinary work over the past months.”
His message backs up the government’s messaging around some reported hesitancy among ethnic minority groups from taking up the vaccine when offered by the National Health Service (NHS).
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has been leading a drive in favour of highlighting the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, most recently with a visit to the Neasden Temple’s new vaccination centre.
The London temple, along with other major religious organisations, has been running their own dedicated information and awareness campaigns, including in Indian languages such as Gujarati, to help allay any fears.
Besides, celebrities and community leaders have also been making an added effort to ensure that doubts and myths around the vaccines are addressed in order for all vulnerable groups to be protected against the deadly virus.
Amid reports of some variations in vaccine effectiveness on certain Covid-19 strains, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated: "We're very confident in all the vaccines that we're using.
"It's important for people to bear in mind that all of them, we think, are effective in delivering a high degree of protection against serious illness and death, which is the most important thing."