Newcastle as a city is working in partnership to make sure that our diverse communities receive information and support about Covid-19 and vaccination. Working closely with the City Council, Connected Voice’s HAREF Network has shared the following links to information, including in different languages for our communities.
Vaccine information
COVID-19 and Vaccine, event with the Bangladeshi community: Tuesday 9 March, 6.00pm to 7.30pm on zoom
Let’s talk COVID and Vaccines is a series of Newcastle City Council events that have been organised with Community Champions for communities to hear from NHS and Public Health experts. The events will address the impact COVID-19 has had on BAME communities. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions directly to experts.
- Click here to join the Zoom meeting
- or download Zoom and use the following details to join: Meeting ID: 932 2389 8242 Passcode: LetsTalk
- Send in your questions for the panel to answer to letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk or message 07790 899836.
- Click here for more information
Vaccine information session recording (Newcastle)
Connected Voice Haref ran an information session about the COVID-19 vaccines. This is a 54 minute long recording of the vaccine information session with Kate Vogelsang (NGPS) and Lorna Longworth (Clinical Director) explaining about the vaccines:
- How they are being administered in Newcastle?
- What is in the vaccines?
- How do the vaccines work?
- How will people be notified about getting a vaccine?
Questions from Haref Network members such as:
- How do asylum seekers get notified about their vaccine date?
- Do people have a choice of which vaccine to get?
- What side effects might you experience after each vaccine?
- How long after receiving the first injection do you have immunity?
To go alongside the video, you can also download a presentation and information pack with information to share in your networks
Newcastle City Council videos of local people sharing their experiences
Newcastle City Council have developed the following with the help of local residents:
- Get vaccinated, protect yourself and protect others. Message from Mr Mahtab Miah, Chairman of Newcastle Bangladeshi Association (In Bengali)
- Please take COVID very seriously Amad Ali is a 49 year old business owner from Newcastle. Sadly he lost his mother in law to Covid and he himself is in hospital with the illness (In English)
- Mama Sheriff on her COVID-19 vaccine experience, talking about what it was like getting her Covid-19 vaccination (in English and Bengali)
- Interviews with a Romanian gentleman who along with his family, all contracted Covid – You tube video in Romanian , in English and on social media
Increasing vaccine uptake
As part of the bid to increase vaccine uptake among at-risk groups, the PCN Network co-chair Dr Farzana Hussain and the NHS Race and Health Observatory have made clear the coronavirus vaccine is halal, safe for Muslims during Ramadan, and does not break the fast.
Videos on vaccine scams
The BBC Asian Network has created content on vaccines scams containing videos in Urdu, Sylheti, Punjabi, Tamil and Gujarati for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find these on the BBC news website
Videos in different languages from frontline medical professionals from the RVI and Freeman hospitals about how to stay safe during the pandemic
- In Arabic – click here
- In Bengali – click here
- In Bengali Sylheti – click here
- In Hindi – click here
- In Kurdish Sorani – click here
- In Polish – click here
- In Punjabi Indian – click here
- In Punjabi Pakistani – click here
- In Urdu – click here
Community Health Fund – Newcastle City Council Closing date Fri, 12/03/2021 – 12:00
Newcastle City Council is launching a new Community Health Fund and encouraging local communities to support people shown to be most at risk from Coronavirus (Covid-19), including those from an ethnic minority background, disabled people and others to follow safer behaviours and reduce the impact of the virus on themselves and those around them.
The fund is estimated to be £60,000 and you can apply for up to £1,000 for your project idea. They are looking project ideas from voluntary and community groups who specialise in working with communities shown to be most at risk from COVID-19. Click here to find out more.
Vitamin D advice in pregnancy
Women low in vitamin D may be more vulnerable to COVID-19, so women with darker skin or those who always cover their skin when outside may be at particular risk of vitamin D insufficiency and should consider taking a daily supplement of vitamin D all year. Vitamin D is found in a small number of foods, such as oily fish, red meat, liver, egg yolks and fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals which have vitamins added. Or women can consider taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. You can buy these supplements from supermarkets and pharmacies. Taking more than the recommended dose of Vitamin D via supplements can damage the bones, kidney and heart. You can’t overdose on vitamin D through exposure to sunlight. For more information click here
Stakeholder and influencer toolkits from Government including resources in different languages
International Newcastle is sharing toolkits from the National Resilience Hub (PM/Cabinet Office) which provide links to information about all aspects of the pandemic, including social media resources, videos and materials in British Sign Language and a range of community languages. The toolkits are available online here and are updated weekly.
The Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS) Survey
The EVENS Survey is the UK’s first and largest survey of its kind, documenting the impact of Covid-19, and the lockdowns, on the lives of 17,000 ethnic and religious minority people across the nation. The survey will be available in 14 languages and is online or by freephone telephone call. Participates will receive a gift voucher for participating in the survey. EVENS aims to transform the policy landscape, inform work and campaigns for racial justice, and create a data legacy by providing robust evidence on a comprehensive range of issues facing ethnic and religious minority people during the pandemic. Click here to complete the survey