UK Mosques Become COVID-19 Vaccination Hubs, Boosting Immunization Efforts

Shenaz Sajan, 60, is one of dozens of people who have received their Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine dose since January 21 at the Al Abbas Islamic Center, the first mosque approved as a vaccination center by the NHS, the UK’s public health service. "It was very nice to do it in a place of trust like the mosque," she tells Al Jazeera.

In this Islamic center located in Birmingham, two people are vaccinated at a time in a multipurpose room. Within a few weeks, the mosque hopes to vaccinate up to 500 people. The goal, in transforming this place of worship into a vaccination center, is "to help members of the Muslim community who are not well informed about the vaccination campaign and who doubt the quality of the vaccine or fear its side effects," explains Nuru Mohammed, the mosque’s imam.

Vulnerable and elderly people from all backgrounds were the first to receive their vaccine dose. "I am at peace now. I will encourage members of my family to do it when they are invited by the NHS," says Shaukat Ali, 82, after being vaccinated.

In the UK, around 12 million people have already been vaccinated against Covid-19. This result was achieved thanks to the transformation into vaccination centers of various places such as mosques, pharmacies, cinemas, a London football pitch, a Hindu temple and other places of worship.