The views of ethnic minority and vulnerable communities towards participation in COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Black, Asian and minority ethnic populations and vulnerable groups.1 Ethnic minority communities have 10–50% higher mortality risk compared with those of white ethnicity in the UK and USA.2,3 Those with mental health conditions, homeless people and vulnerable migrants are also at high risk.4,5 If successful, vaccination will provide protection and management of COVID-19, and to ensure optimal uptake and efficacy of vaccination programmes, the involvement of high-risk groups in vaccine trials is crucial. Ethnic minority individuals are, however, generally underrepresented in medical research, and researchers are actively seeking approaches to include more ethnic minorities in COVID-19 vaccine trials.6 There is, therefore, a pressing need to explore perceptions towards participation in vaccine trials amongst ethnic minority and vulnerable communities towards achieving higher recruitment rates