'Misinformation is rife’ around Covid vaccines, health chief says
A city health leader has warned “misinformation is rife” around Covid-19 vaccines and said this should be addressed with details around safety.
Elizabeth Griffiths, assistant director of public health at Birmingham City Council, gave councillors on the health and social care overview and scrutiny committee an update on public health in the city.
The meeting touched on conspiracy theories around the Covid-19 potential vaccines.
One reported conspiracy theory is the idea the vaccine will be used to implant microchips in members of the public – a theory which multiple fact-checkers found no evidence for.
Responding to a question from Councillor Mohammed Idrees on opposition to vaccines among the public, Ms Griffiths said: "Misinformation is rife. I am not completely clear on the motivations for that.
"It needs professionals from public health and the NHS to be outlining the process that all vaccines have to go through, including safety standards and testing."
Ms Griffiths’ update showed case rates continue to rise in the city despite the second lockdown. She said: "We are still seeing an increase in case rates in Birmingham, in the region and across the country.
"What we are seeing is a reduction in case rates in our student population but we are seeing a steady rise across all age groups.
Concern
"The rise in cases in our 60-plus age group is of most concern because they are the most vulnerable when it comes to getting more severe cases which end up hospital.
She said there had particularly been rises in the 80 to 89 year-old groups as well as 90 to 99-year-old group in the last two weeks compared to the two weeks before that.
She said the aim is now to plan for testing for asymptomatic people – people who are not showing signs of Covid-19 – as the city prepares to receive 10,000 testing kits as part of a new mass-testing regime.
She said: "We are seeing more tests coming back with positive results now. We have 16.6 per cent test coming back with a positive result, and that has increased significantly over the last four weeks as it has across the country and West Midlands."
