British Islamic Medical Association recommends Covid-19 vaccine for eligible at-risk individuals in the Muslim community
Date posted: 17th December 2020
The British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) has released its position statement on the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Read the summary statement below:
The British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) has consulted various experts in infectious diseases, the pharmaceutical industry, clinical medicine, commissioning, inequalities research, public health, and bioethicists to produce the following statement on the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine that is set to be rolled out in the UK, and how it relates to the Muslim community in Britain. This is the first of several vaccines that the UK Government has procured against Covid-19 to get MHRA regulatory approval. This is a consensus statement specific to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and is based on our knowledge at the time of publication. This is a rapidly evolving situation, with more vaccines due to become authorised, and more trial data pending publication. We may revise our statement should the evidence compel us to do so.
Summary
After discussion with experts, we recommend the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for eligible at-risk individuals in the Muslim community. These are outlined in the current JCVI guidance. Individuals should take this Covid-19 vaccine on the advice of their medical practitioner following informed consent. This is to protect these specific groups from a probable and considerable risk of harm from Covid-19 infection, which is likely to be greater than any harm from taking this vaccine. We shall continually review this recommendation as new information becomes available. A UK-wide population rollout is not available at present and we have therefore not considered this. Despite the development of vaccines, the ongoing vigilance of wearing masks, social distancing, and hand hygiene remain paramount and highly effective in managing this pandemic.