Community leaders turned out to support Camden’s first pop-up Covid vaccination hub at Queen’s Crescent Community Association (QCCA) on Tuesday.
Leaders from local mosques, churches and the Jewish community all backed the drive to get more people from BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) communities vaccinated.
Currently, vaccine uptake in Camden among the Black community is 56%; mixed ethnicity is 66% and white British is 85%.
A total of 100 people received the AstraZeneca jab at the clinic, 95% of whom were from BAME communities.
Among those vaccinated was QCCA CEO Foyezur Miah, who said: “These pop-up satellites really get the word out into the heart of communities that are hard to reach, especially in areas of high deprivation or where people are isolated from the mainstream.
“We don’t do this as part of our normal service offer, it was new to all of us but the whole team at QCCA pulled together with clinicians to make this work because we know how important it is.
"Everyone involved has been amazing and should take credit for vaccinating 100 people.”
Other local leaders to receive the Covid vaccine were Imam Muhammed Bodrul Haque of Queen’s Crescent’s Baitul Aman Mosque; Sheik Bodrul Alom Hamidi, owner of Bengali DEEN TV station; and Kamal Hussin, secretary of Baitul Aman mosque.
Mohamed Nur, a Somali youth worker from Kentish Town Community Association, acted as a marshal after his vaccination.
He said: “I thought it was important to get involved to show people who look like me that it’s alright to have the vaccine and that it’s safe. It was a good event and a great ice-breaker for the community.
“A lot of people would be more willing to come and get vaccinated if we do it again.”
The event was held at QCCA’s Dome sports centre from 10am to 1pm. It was a joint initiative between QCCA, Camden Council, NHS Camden Clinical Commissioning Group, Hampstead Group Practice, the James Wigg GP Practice, and Queen’s Crescent Surgery.
The clinic was supported by Carol Barrett Ford, vicar of St Martin’s Church Gospel Oak; Josie Price, from the Union of Jewish Students; Cllr Sabrina Francis (Lab, Bloomsbury); and Adam Zonzolo, pastor of Eglise Char de feu de Londres.
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