Don 't miss vaccine chance - plea from Chamber VP

A leading member of Birmingham 's business community who lost a brother to Covid-19 last year today urged everyone to ensure they take up appointments to have the vaccine.

Nasir Awan, vice-president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce who also suffers from respiratory problems, said he had been made aware that some people were not attending appointments and this was especially prevalent among the BAME community.

The chief executive of Awan Marketing plc said: “In some inner city communities where health centres have been supplied with the Pfizer vaccine, people are not attending their appointments out of fear and conspiracy theories. This seems prevalent in BAME communities.

“I have ended up in hospital three times over the past few years with an underlying respiratory condition and I am prone to lung infections so I understand how serious this is.

“I also lost my brother Nazir to Covid last year so I urge everyone to take up the chance to have the vaccination, especially among the BAME community, which has a more than average infection and mortality rate. They should also ensure they are taking all precautions.

“My wife and I were called to receive the jab because others had not turned up for their appointments. I know of others who have taken this opportunity because otherwise the jab would have been wasted. ”

Mr Awan and his wife volunteered when offered the vaccine at short notice.

He said: “We accepted this to save wasting this very valuable protection and we 're grateful to the NHS for the opportunity to have some peace of mind.

“And no-one should have any fears about receiving the vaccine. ”

Former Washwood Heath councillor Ansar Ali, who was deputy leader of Birmingham City Council and has underlying health conditions, was also called at the last minute when a vaccine was in danger of going to waste because of a non-attendee.

He said: “It really is vital that vaccine appointments are not missed. The Pfizer jab has only a limited life when it is removed from refrigeration in preparation for a vaccination and it could be wasted if people do not turn up for their appointments.

“A lot of false information about dangers from the jab is being circulated but they should be ignored. Everything is perfectly safe and this opportunity must not be wasted. ”