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COVID vaccine clinic at Islamic Center: 'Great for the community'

Vaccine
Posted at 6:02 PM, Apr 29, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-29 18:19:29-04

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- The Islamic Center of Henrico off Hillard Road transformed into a COVID-19 vaccination hub on Thursday.

It was the county's first clinic aimed at vaccinating members of the county's Islamic community.

"It's a very great cause for the community," Shakil Rehman, who got vaccinated Thursday, said. "I'm feeling good. It's all good. Nothing wrong, lot of doubts and concerns about what could happen but it was very smooth."

Rehman was one of the hundreds who got their first vaccine at the clinic.

"We needed something that was local, that community folk could easily come to," Amir Saeed, with ICNA Relief, said about the purpose of the clinic.

ICNA Relief partnered with the Virginia Department of Health and the Islamic center to put on the clinic and to provide outreach to the community.

"A lot of people come back and said it's not something that is religiously allowed, and we wanted to debunk that and that it is allowed," Saeed said.

After weeks of mass vaccination events, the Richmond-Henrico Health District has turned its focus to smaller communities in hopes of increasing the total number of people who get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Richmond-Henrico Health District indicated 42 percent of eligible people have at least one shot while 29 percent were fully vaccinated.

The clinic at the Islamic Center will run every Wednesday by appointment only.

There is a walk-up clinic scheduled for Friday, from 10 a .m. - 3 p.m., at the Richmond Raceway for anyone who wants vaccine.