Proposal to carry out coronavirus vaccinations at Doncaster mosque

So far, the NHS has been running vaccination centres in Thorne, Adwick, Mexborough, the Keepmoat Stadium, and at Rutland House, near Thorne Road, for the public, as well as hubs at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Tickhill Road Hospital, for NHS staff.

But there are concerns that some communities may have seen lower uptakes.

Director of strategy and delivery at Doncaster NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, Anthony Fitzgerald, said: “We have now done over 72,000 first doses in Doncaster, and everyone in the first four cohorts has been offered a vaccine.

"But we have not had 100 per cent take-up. It would be 93-94 per cent. We are targeting some of those who have not taken it up.”

He said they would be looking to improve the take up among some communities.

"We have plans to start doing some from a mosque, if possible,” he said.

It would not be the first time in the UK that a mosque has opened as a Covid vaccination centre.

The Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Balsall Heath, Birmingham has been used since late January.

The imam there, Sheikh Nuru Mohammed, said he hoped it would help dispel false information that the vaccine was forbidden in Islamic law.

He told the BBC at the time: "Muslim scholars advise us to get the vaccine because the sanctity of life is important in Islam."

Officials in Doncaster will also soon be starting to look at administering second doses for some of those who have already had their first doses, and are looking at carrying out that work early in March, and they would be looking to use the same vaccine that the patient was originally given.

Some who had their vaccinations early in the programme have already had their second vaccinations.

Some people were vaccinated from outside the original target groups, because there was a Pfizer-Biontech vaccine available which would have had to have been thrown out if it was not used within its three day limit.

A total of 19,000 healthcare workers have had their first doses.

Over 700 have died in Doncaster from Covid.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.