BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir’s new video combats Covid vaccine doubts
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, one of the UK’s largest temples, has been at the forefront of addressing concerns around doubts over the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines and has now launched a new video targeted at the British Indian community.
The video in Gujarati, with English subtitles, focusses on the central message that taking the vaccine, when offered by the National Health Service (NHS), is our moral duty and a great service to our country, said the mandir popularly referred to as Neasden Temple in London.
Bhavik Depala, spokesperson for Neasden Temple, said: “Religious leaders, a medical professional, and individuals who have received the vaccine share their insights and personal experiences to encourage the British Indian and Gujarati community to take the Covid-19 vaccine, whenever available to them.
“It will form a part of our surest efforts to help fight this global pandemic.”
Myths vs facts
Numerous recent surveys and reports have highlighted a worrying trend of reluctance among Britain’s ethnic minority communities towards the jabs, with spurious claims of questionable ingredients and adverse long-term side effects adding to the problem.
The Neasden Temple, which has been working closely with the UK government, says that it is understandable for some people to be nervous about taking the vaccine. Therefore, to allay any doubts or concerns anyone may have about taking the vaccine, it has launched this video as part of a series of other such targeted videos. Additionally, daily live webcasts from Neasden Temple have been announcing and encouraging people to take the vaccine and consulting their healthcare professional or family practitioner, if necessary.
“Alongside this, we have also encouraged people to be aware and remain vigilant of any scams in relation to the vaccine, sharing the standard NHS advice from their websites,” Depala explained.
Outreach programmes
As a spiritual hub for the British Indian community, especially through lockdown, the temple’s daily evening weekday webcast figure clocks thousands of viewers during weekdays and even more so over the weekends.
With the Covid-19 pandemic the biggest health crisis of our times, the temple has taken it upon itself to ensure a wide transmission of the crucial message of vaccines being our foremost line of defence against this deadly virus which has now claimed over 100,000 lives in the UK.
With widespread data indicating that the country’s ethnic minority groups are at an even higher risk from coronavirus, the new video is extremely timely in reaching out to sections of the population who most need the protective shield of a vaccine.