North East gets £2m to fight fake news about Covid-19 and vaccines
The North East has been given almost £2m to tackle life-threatening fake news about Covid-19 with the aim of boosting take-up of the vaccine
Councils in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, and South Tyneside have been awarded the funding from the government to spread accurate information about the virus.
It will be aimed particularly at those at greatest risk - the elderly, the disabled, and BAME communities.
Newcastle was awarded more than £311,000 from the scheme, with Gatesead getting more than £486,000, Sunderland £510,000, and South Tyneside £565,000.
This cash is part of a spend of £23m across 60 councils in England and it will be used to set up networks of 'community champions' where they don't already exist to overcome language barriers or other difficulties and provide advice about both the virus and the vaccination rollout.
It will also be used to support helplines, school programmes and phone calls to people in at-risk groups, in a bid to expose dangerous misinformation and encourage everyone to get vaccinated.
A recent poll from the Royal Society of Public Health found that just 57 per cent of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people would be happy to have a Covid vaccine, compared to 79 per cent of white people, amid fears about false claims being spread on social media.
The government pledged that a variety of communities would be targeted for support, including Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, people with learning disabilities, as well as faith groups. The community champions will be drawn from those populations and asked to share accurate health information with their neighbours and wider community.
Local Government secretary Robert Jenrick MP said:
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Coun Irim Ali, Newcastle City Council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods and public health, said:
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Health secretary Matt Hancock added that it was "vital higher-risk groups are able to access the advice and information they need whether it's about testing, accessing the NHS or the benefits of a lifesaving vaccine".