Covid: Vaccine conspiracies debunked in South Asian languages

Misinformation is causing vaccine hesitancy amongst ethnic minority communities, experts fear

The South Asian community has one of the highest levels of vaccine hesitancy in the UK, surveys suggest.

More than 40% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi people say they are unlikely to get the jab, while more than 20% of Indian people do not want to be vaccinated, according to a document from the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Some doctors believe fake news could be causing some people to reject the Covid vaccine. Some of these myths include claims the vaccine contains animal products and is not halal, or that it causes infertility.

Another is false information around the scale of the pandemic, with claims that hospitals are empty, when in fact many are overwhelmed.

BBC Asian Network debunks these rumours in five South Asian languages: Urdu, Tamil, Gujarati, Sylheti and Punjabi.

Punjabi

Raj Kaur Bilkhu looks into false claims around coronavirus and vaccines in Punjabi.

Urdu

Haroon Rashid looks into false claims around coronavirus and vaccines in Urdu.

Tamil

Jeyapragash Nallusamy looks into false claims around coronavirus and vaccines in Tamil.

Sylheti

Poppy Begum looks into false claims around coronavirus and vaccines in Sylheti.

Gujarati

Sarika Unadkat looks into false claims around coronavirus and vaccines in Gujarati.