The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (the “College”) is urging people to take up the offer of a COVID-19 vaccination once they are called.

It comes as data show that over 30 million people in the UK have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

While this is encouraging, figures revealed by the OpenSAFELY group - a collaboration between Oxford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – indicate that people from an ethnic minority background and those living in poorer areas are least likely to have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr Umesh Dashora, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, recorded a short video explaining why everyone should take up the offer of a COVID-19 vaccination when called. The recording can be watched here.

In particular, Dr Dashora was keen to point out that after being vaccinated, he had no side effects. He said: “Other than a little pain in the arm on the second day [after being vaccinated] I had no side effects of the vaccine”.

Dr Dashora went onto say: “I would encourage everybody, especially people from [an ethnic minority background] like me who are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke, to accept the vaccine as soon as it is offered”.

The more people who are vaccinated, the better a chance we have of beating COVID-19 and protecting the NHS.