More than 80,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccination have been delivered so far at an NHS vaccination centre opened by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London. The centre is housed on the Mandir’s premises at The Swaminarayan School on Brentfield Road opposite the Mandir.
The centre began administering vaccinations on 2 February 2021, delivered by K&W Healthcare, a GP-led organisation supporting GP practices and services in Brent. Since its opening, more than 50,000 local residents have been inoculated, with either their first or both jabs.
The Mandir – popularly known as Neasden Temple – has provided volunteering services to prepare and run the facility and offered the premises free of charge to support the government’s vaccination rollout. Vaccinations are delivered across twelve pods on the premises, creating a capacity of 1,200 daily vaccinations. The centre also opens on selected Saturdays to support the vaccination targets that are integral in unlocking the final suite of coronavirus restrictions in England.
In addition to the vaccination clinic, the Mandir has provided its car park facility to perform Covid-19 antigen testing since June 2020, where almost 19,000 tests have been undertaken by the Army through to May 2021. Further to this testing facility, a mobile clinical laboratory to process the Covid test samples has been operating at the Mandir since December 2020.
The Rt Hon Home Secretary Priti Patel, who visited the centre on 3 February, said, “I am delighted to be here today to see the heroic efforts around the vaccination programme. I’ve met everybody from healthcare professionals to representatives of the NHS and the army as well as members of the public who have come to the centre to be vaccinated today. And I just wanted to thank you all, and in particular the volunteers, who have made this national effort possible. It is a heroic effort that is saving lives. It will save your life when you have the vaccine and it will save the lives of other people, too.”
Dr Mayank Shah, a practising GP and a trustee at the Mandir, shared, “Mahant Swami Maharaj has inspired and energised us to support the nation’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. We are humbled to have had this opportunity to bolster the vaccination campaign and testing drive, to play our part in slowing the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The milestone of 50,000 people inoculated is truly heartwarming and every vaccination over the past five months has protected the community further.”
Hasmita Patel, who oversees the operations at the vaccination centre, added, “Our pool of 15-20 volunteers have dedicated their time and made personal sacrifices to ensure the centre runs smoothly. Their efforts have been instrumental in delivering over 80,000 jabs into the arms of local residents safely and efficiently. We look forward to continue serving the community in the final push to meet the government’s targets.”