Crawley councillor urges all communities to have Covid vaccine

Maureen Mwagale, the councillor for Tilgate at Crawley Borough Council, was concerned to see the Office of National Statistics data released on Monday, March 29 that showed a lower take up of the vaccine in Black and Asian communities, with people over 70 years old of Black African background having the lowest take of all, at a level of only 59 per cent up to March 11. The overall rate for over-70s was 90 per cent by that date, highlighting a notable difference.

Mwagale, who is originally from Uganda and is believed to be the only Black African elected councillor in the whole of West Sussex, is keen to show the positive effect the vaccine has in keeping people safe and feels that as a community leader, it is important she leads by example.

Mwagale said: “The vaccine rollout is a huge success and I thank the wonderful NHS staff and volunteers who are doing such a great job, but in the same way that some communities have suffered more from Covid-19, we risk some communities continuing to be at greater risk if lower numbers come forward to be vaccinated.

"The vaccine protects you, protects your family and protects your community. I urge everyone from every background to have it done.”