BHOPAL: The governing committee of Mecca Masjid located at Jinsi, Jehangirabad in the city, organised Covid-19 vaccination camp on its premises on Wednesday. The aim was to motivate people to offer prayers after getting vaccinated.
Around 500 people, including namazis and others, received their jabs at the camp. Women formed 40% of those vaccinated.††The camp began at 9.30 am and ended at 6 pm. A 20-year-old girl Zainab Khan was the first to be vaccinated. We wanted that a ëbetií should be the first to receive the vaccine to send out the message that we need to protect our betis. And that was why, I asked the few people who had turned up early to wait till a young girl came along, Jameel Ahmed, a member of the committee said.
The camp was organised with the help of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation. The tent in which the vaccination was being done was decorated with colourful balloons and chairs were provided for the elderly citizens while they waited for their turn. Registration of the people for vaccination was done on-the-spot on the basis of Aadhaar cards.
Seventy-year-old Zohra Bi had reached the camp along with her daughter and daughter-in-law. Some disease has spread in the city. I have come here to make myself safe from it, she said.
Shakeel Khan, secretary, District Congress Committee, who was helping our with the registration work, said that they had set a target of vaccinating 300 persons. The crowd, however, increased so rapidly that by afternoon, the stock of syringes had exhausted and one more nurse had to be summoned to handle the work.
According to Javed Ahmed, treasurer of the committee, the Maulana sahib who conducts the namaz at the masjid has also been urging the devotees to get vaccinated. He said that besides the namazis, people living in the area, including Hindus and Sikhs, have also come to the camp.