THE BAME community have been urged to get the Covid jab to protect loved ones, as a charity boss speaks of the struggle to get people to sign up.

Ahmad Khwaja, the chairman of the Southend Ethnic Minority Forum, has spoken out of the challenges he has faced in ensuring the community don’t turn down the vaccine.

He revealed how he has been holding Zoom calls to persuade friends, and explained how he has been contacted by the community amid concerns “they’re being forced to have the jab.”

But Mr Khwaja, 79, has insisted the vaccine is “perfectly safe”.

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His charity has helped deliver services and support to ethnic communities in Southend He said: “I was surprised that people don’t how important it is to have their Covid jab.

“It’s so important to have the jab, not just to protect ourselves, but our nearest and dearest too.

“I can’t put my finger on why there has been a slower uptake among the BAME community, I can’t understand it.

“I’ve told people that it’s their own choice, and they can say no, but that it’s really important they say yes.”

This comes as Trevor Harp, councillor in charge of health and social care, told the Echo there had been a lower uptake in the BAME community for the Covid jab.

But the hesitancy rates in Southend “aren’t fantastically high.”

Mr Khwaja, who had the jab himself on January 20, said there was “nothing to worry about” and he “didn’t even feel it.”

He also reassured friends and family that he experienced no side effects.

He described the impact of social media and false information on the vaccine rollout. He added: “It’s a strange thing.

“People believe what they read, without checking whether it’s actually true or not.

“There’s a lot of fake news that gets shared around, and unfortunately people believe it.

“Social media companies need to do more in stopping that being put on there in the first place.

“We’re holding Zooms to get the message out there, but it’s not the same as in person.”