We know that Covid-19 vaccines are shortly to be distributed in Britain sometime soon. The pandemic, however, has shown that we are not all in it together. Bangladeshis in Britain have seen a tsunami of their loved once die, spend time in hospitals due to the virus, lost jobs and furloughed. Covid-19 has also exposed the fragility of the Bengali community in comparison to the white British population. The government and NHS data clearly demonstrate that Bangladeshis are vulnerable in the context of their health because t hey are more likely to work in shutdown sectors, live in overcrowded conditions, twice the risk of dying of the virus compared to the white population, and unemployment rate is much higher. What can we do about it? Prioritise the Bengalis who are more vulnerable in proportion to the while population to save Bengali lives.
BritBanglaCovid is a platform that shares real-life experiences of British Bangladeshis prior to and during the pandemic. It shares their circumstances from their perspective for public benefit and tries to bring about positive health outcomes for the benefit of this and other minority communities through shared experience. BritBanglaCovid is also a forum through which minority community representatives discuss issues that affect them in times of health crisis.