THREE mosques are set to be used for Covid vaccination clinics as medical staff bid to encourage more of the BAME community to get their jabs.

Winton, Poole and Bournemouth mosques are preparing to deliver the vaccine, with arrangements in place for February 22, 23 and 27 respectively.

A clinic at the YMCA in Bournemouth will also be administering jabs for homeless people in the area.

Doctor Mufeed Ni’Man is based at Providence Surgery in Walpole Road, Boscombe, and is a senior partner of South Coast Medical Group, which is a network of GPs with around 35,000 patients.

He said the medical group wants as many people from vulnerable groups and ethnic minorities to have their coronavirus vaccinations.

Dr Ni’Man, who also leads on tackling health inequalities with Dorset CCG, is urging people from BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic), eastern European and homeless communities to get in contact.

“The key message is that the vaccination for these communities is important because we know they have a higher risk of admission and also a higher risk of death,” he said.

“We know that BAME have higher risk than any other population in catching the disease and dying from it, so we would like people to vaccinate.

“It is proven the vaccines reduce the severity and the death risk.

“It will save lives and prevent unnecessary suffering as well.

“The assurance we can give is it is safe, it has no animal products in it, it is halal and it will save lives.”

South Coast Medical Group has made great progress in vaccinating the first four priority groups, delivering jabs to at least 90 per cent of their patients in each of these populations.

Dr Ni’Man said BAME and homeless members of the community in priority groups five, six and seven – all those 65 years of age and over, all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality and all those 60 years of age and over – are encouraged to contact South Coast Medical Group on 01202 395195 to book a slot for a vaccine clinics.

The clinics require residents to pre-book a slot before attending.

Meanwhile, Southbourne builder Tarif Ali, known as Terry, 54, has been helping prepare Poole Mosque, in Ashley Road, for the clinic on Tuesday.

Terry said: “We need to get the BAME community out.

“We have had a few people ill and a few deaths.

“Whether we like it or not, if we are going to get out of it, vaccinations are the only way.

“The whole point of it was to bring them forward and it is working.

“The point of it was we need to get out of this.”

Terry said he placed advertising leaflets in various businesses in the area, got support from a surgery to deliver the vaccine, and wanted mosques around the country to follow suit.