June 17, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) COVID-19 vaccination campaign, We Can Do This, has released a new toolkit for houses of worship interested in serving as vaccination centers.
Click here to access the toolkit and learn more about how your gurdwara can join the effort to vaccinate as many individuals as possible against COVID-19.
Interested community leaders can
use the toolkit to work directly with nearby vaccine providers--including healthcare organizations, pharmacies, groceries, and other organizations--to set up vaccination clinics at their gurdwara. While these providers are “typically responsible for all clinical operations and reporting,” it is the responsibility of the gurdwara to provide a location, help select a suitable time and date, recruit volunteers to help out, and promote the availability of vaccines to the community. The process takes approximately two weeks.
According to doctors and public health officials, vaccines remain the single most effective way to move us forward from the pandemic and return to normalcy. In addition, gurdwaras in at least New York and California have already successfully hosted vaccination drives in an effort to bring vaccines to those who may otherwise be unable to access them due to a lack of language access and other barriers.
If you believe that your sangat remains at high risk of COVID-19 and you are interested in enlisting your gurdwara in this effort,
follow the steps in this toolkit. The Sikh Coalition is working to support HHS in their campaign to get at least 70% of Americans vaccinated by July 4, 2021.
For additional questions about how your gurdwara can serve as a vaccination center through the HHS campaign, please email our team at
community@sikhcoalition.org. You can also visit
thesikh.co/vaccine to access all of our vaccine safety and availability information, developed in partnership with the North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association, the Sikh Family Center, and the Jakara Movement. We will continue to update these resources and distribute new content in the weeks to come.
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.
