L
ondon’s busiest mosque has been turned into a Covid-19 vaccination centre amid concerns about uptake of the jab among ethnic minority communities in east London.
Despite the Government allowing places of worship to remain open under lockdown restrictions, the mosque has been shut to worshipers since January 6 to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Tower Hamlets council data shows that significantly fewer people from Asian, Black and mixed race backgrounds have taken up the jab when offered it in the borough.
The local authority has started a campaign educating residents about the vaccine and stressing that it contains no animal products and is the “best form of protection from Covid-19”.
Sahra Jama being vaccinated at the East London Mosque
/ Tower Hamlets Council
Director at East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre Dilowar Hussein Khan said: “We firmly believe that vaccination is the best way to combat the pandemic and return to our normal way of life. In Islam, preservation of life is of the utmost importance, so we want to do our part to reassure those who are hesitant about vaccination.”
A seven day a week helpline, staffed by people who speak a variety of languages, has also been started by the council to help people book their vaccination or ask questions about the jab.
Those who received it at the mosque over the weekend had booked their appointment through the helpline.
The clinic, run by AT Medics, is a pilot and the council said it is seeking other venues to ensure the jab is easily accessible.
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Last week Dr Somen Banerjee told the borough’s Health Board that it was understandable that some communities had concerns about receiving the vaccine.
“Because of the way it has been rolled out, the speed of it, it was inevitable that some of these disparities emerge. What we need to do is develop a local system in which all these issues are taken account of in the system.
“Obviously having a multilingual helpline is going to be really helpful, having the London Muslim Centre is great…We need to focus these community clinics in the right way. We really need to spot those opportunities.
“It might just be doing 10 or 12 vaccinations in one place, but it is about going into those areas where we are seeing disparities.”
