Sadiq Khan was invited to get his coronavirus vaccine as he suffers from severe asthma (Picture: PA/Getty)
Sadiq Khan has warned the Government against rushing the country out of lockdown early after receiving his Covid vaccine.
The London mayor said he was ‘delighted’ as he was pictured getting his first dose of the Pfizer jab at a vaccine centre at the Mitcham Lane Baptist Church in south-west London on Friday.
The asthma sufferer was immunised by a revered who came out of retirement to volunteer in the vaccination programme.
The politician said: ‘I am delighted, relieved and incredibly grateful to not just the scientists who invented this vaccine but to the NHS and volunteers who are working so hard.
‘…This church my daughter used perform ballet in, so it’s a church special to us.’
Speaking on Twitter, he added: ‘Love that as a Mayor of Islamic faith, I received my COVID vaccine at a local church, from Reverend Dr Sue Clarke, who came out of retirement to volunteer as a vaccinator. This is London: our diversity is our strength.’
Shortly after getting the vaccine, the Labour mayor told Sky News it is ‘important we don’t come prematurely out of lockdown’ because ‘this must be the last lockdown’.
He warned Boris Johnson to ‘learn the lessons or mistakes of the past’, saying he must reject a return to the Covid tier system.
He said: ‘I think the Government’s tiering system hasn’t worked, it has been a catastrophic failure and that’s why I think we need to look towards the country as a whole.’
The London mayor got his jab in a church in southwest London (Picture: PA)
Mr Khan claimed Boris Johnson’s tier system was a ‘failure’ (Picture: Getty Images)
Mr Khan also used his vaccine experience to encourage people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities to accept the invitation.
Surveys show these groups are more hesitant to receive the vaccine, despite being up to three times more likely to die with coronavirus.
Twice as many white people aged over-80 have had their first doses of the vaccine than black people of the same age, analytics platform OpenSAFELY states.
Speaking directly to BAME communities, Mr Khan said: ‘I wouldn’t be taking the jab if I didn’t think it was safe’.
He urged those who are nervous to ‘speak to people you trust’ including religious leaders and GPs ‘because they will tell you this vaccine is safe’.
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