'No religious reason' to refuse Covid vaccine offer - Leeds Imam Qari Asim

Qari Asim, Imam at the Makkah Mosque, yesterday helped with the largest vaccination programme in the history of the NHS as more jabs were administered at Craven Road Medical Practice to people in priority groups.

Mr Asim, who also chairs the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, said: "Like all faith leaders, I want to stress that taking the vaccine is a vital part of the solution to break the cycles of lockdown and be with our loved ones again. There is no religious reason for you not to take the vaccine.

"It is our ethical duty to protect ourselves and others from potential harm. By taking the vaccine, you will be protecting yourselves and fellow community members from being infected by deadly coronavirus."

By joining the volunteering effort at the surgery in Woodhouse, Mr Asim hopes to inspire others to volunteer as well as encouraging people to make sure they attend their vaccination appointment when invited.

"It is really important that we all contribute to the effort to fight this cruel pandemic that has impacted every single one of us," he said. "By having the vaccine when you are invited, you will be playing your part in protecting lives.

"Equally, if you can volunteer at any of the vaccination sites, please do take up the opportunity; by volunteering, you will be helping the NHS and your community."

With millions of vaccines now being delivered across the country, local organisations in the city are continuing to stress the importance of getting protected once invited to do so.

Council leader Judith Blake said on Wednesday that Leeds was on course to reach the "major achievement" this week of having delivered first doses to more than 100,000 people.

But concerns have been raised about hesitancy shown towards getting vaccinated by some younger frontline workers and in some Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.

The city's public health director, Victoria Eaton, has warned the risk of further outbreaks in the future would be greater in areas of Leeds with very low levels of vaccination uptake.

At the same time, a reminder has been issued that even after having a vaccine, people need to continue to follow the Covid-19 guidance to keep themselves and others safe.

Also in news: Biggest Covid-19 vaccination worry is misinformation, says Leeds health chief

Providing people with more easy-to-access information on the vaccine programme and its progress is among the requests being made through our A Shot In The Arm campaign.

Led by the Yorkshire Evening Post and sister titles across JPIMedia, it also asks for further reassurance for local communities and urges Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deploy the country’s network of 11,000 pharmacies to ensure that every citizen is only a short walk away from a vaccination centre.

During his afternoon of volunteering, Mr Asim worked alongside staff and others volunteers at Woodsley Primary Care Network - a network of GP practices working together to run the vaccination service from Craven Road Medical Practice.

Local volunteers are supporting the work of vaccinators in a range of roles. These include meet and greet, marshals and car park supervisors.

Mr Asim said he wanted to recognise the "enormous efforts of Team Leeds" to roll out the vaccination programme across the city.

He added: "This has been a real partnership approach involving the NHS, Leeds City Council and our community and faith groups. Volunteering today gives me the chance to contribute in a small way."

The support for the programme shown by Mr Asim to date has been welcomed by Dr Jason Broch, a GP and Clinical Chairperson for NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group.

Dr Broch said: "He has already produced videos, a blog and a sermon to help people from the Muslim faith understand why they should get vaccinated when invited to do so. I am delighted that we could welcome him to one of our vaccination services in the city."

Reminding people about the process for getting vaccinated, he added: "When you’re eligible to have the vaccine, you will be contacted and invited to book an appointment. Please do not contact your GP practice or any other NHS service – the NHS will contact you."

Visit nhs.uk/CovidVaccine to read more about the vaccination programme or www.leedsccg.nhs.uk/Covid-vaccine to watch Mr Asim's videos and read his blogs.

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