Vaccine clinics could be set up in mosques and churches in Berkshire
Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group say they want to give more local ownership to the vaccination programme
Clinics may be set up in mosques, temples, and churches in Reading & west Berkshire to encourage more people to take a Covid-19 vaccine.
The latest NHS figures show that 51,103 people in West Berkshire had received at least one jab by March 7 – that is more than 40 per cent of the adult population.
Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is now holding discussions with GPs and pharmacists about plans for “targeted” pop-up clinics, as they look to vaccinate as many adults as possible.
Katie Summers, operations director at the CCG, said some people do not feel safe at mass vaccination centres, so they are looking to set up clinics at “temples, mosques, churches and community centres”.
She said: “An imam of a local mosque can now organise it, so they can invite their community to come into the mosque for a pop-up clinic.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to go through the national booking system anymore, so there will be a lot more local ownership.”
The CCG is now looking to run a survey, to find out where there would be demand for these pop-up clinics.
It is one of the projects that aims to encourage more people from certain ethnic minority groups in Berkshire to take a vaccine.
Vaccination take-up in West Berkshire up to March 8:
White British – 43 per cent
Black Caribbean – 30.4 per cent
Black African – 20.9 per cent
Bangladeshi – 19.6 per cent
Pakistani – 18.6 per cent
Indian – 15.5 per cent
Chinese – 15.1 per cent
Ms Summers said: “Every area is experiencing this. We need to do a lot to target the Black African, Black Caribbean and Chinese communities.
“We are working with partners to engage with those communities, to understand why and co-design initiatives to promote vaccination take ups.”
The CCG is also urging health professionals from ethnic minority groups to encourage everyone in their community to get vaccinated.
Ms Summers comments came at a meeting of West Berkshire Council’s Outbreak Control Board on March 15.
According to the latest figures, Berkshire West CCG had administered 150,460 doses of Covid-19 vaccines by March 7.
Across the country, more than 24.4 million people have had one dose of a vaccine and 1.6 million have received their second dose.