Mosque as a COVID-19 vaccination site in collaboration with a private clinic: A short report from Osaka, Japan

Abstract

Ethnic minorities are vulnerable to disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination strategies that do not leave ethnic minorities behind are required. This is a report on the use of Osaka Islamic Center, a mosque, as a group vaccination site for an ethnic minority group in Osaka, Japan, from August to September 2021. We aimed to discuss (1) the process of turning the mosque to a vaccination site, (2) the linguistic and religious considerations made, and (3) the reasons people got vaccinated at the mosque. We interviewed stakeholders and vaccine recipients in December 2021. The survey shows that the mosque administrators voluntarily collaborated with a private clinic to become a vaccination site after learning of another mosque that had undertaken a similar venture. On the day of the vaccination, the mosque administrators' experiences with a large vaccination site informed the smooth operation of the site. They made linguistic considerations (i.e., having volunteers fill out medical questionnaires and administrators aid in language interpretation) and religious considerations (i.e., dividing the space and time of vaccination according to gender) for foreign Muslims. In particular, linguistic considerations were favorably accepted by vaccination recipients and were considered a factor that encouraged them to get vaccinated. The mosque also linked unvaccinated people to the clinic even after finishing vaccination at the mosque, suggesting that it may have played a role in ensuring they were not left behind. This case is expected to stimulate activities performed in mosques and by ethnic minority groups in future disasters.