Members of an Islamic community in regional NSW claim the widespread circulation of misinformation on Arabic social media platforms is undermining the vaccine rollout.
The Omar Mosque in Wollongong recently transformed into a pop-up vaccination clinic which hoped to vaccinate up to 100 worshippers.
But the clinic only delivered a fraction of its target as bookings were cancelled amid concerns about vaccine safety.
"The issue that we are having at the moment is the misinformation about the AstraZeneca vaccine," said Omar Mosque secretary Muhammad Qasim.
Mr Qasim cancelled his Pfizer appointment scheduled for later in the month to get vaccinated at his mosque.
"We need to listen to the medical advice," he said.
Dr Ataur Rahman is a doctor at Wollongong Hospital's emergency department who volunteered to supervise the pop-up clinic.
He is also a member of the Omar Mosque and believes combating false information in the Arabic community remains a significant challenge.
"The misinformation flows through social media applications in their own languages in their own groups which seems to be circulating unverified facts and information," he said.
"The biggest hurdle we face is clarifying those misconceptions to people who do not speak English as a native language."
'A familiar face'
The mosque employed an Arabic interpreter in an effort to combat some of the incorrect information about vaccines circulating online.
A dedicated space was also setup within the mosque for women who wished to be vaccinated by a female nurse in a culturally-appropriate setting.
Nurses working at the clinic say the setting is a far cry from the Homebush mass vaccination hub where 11,000 people a day are vaccinated.
"You have people from the Islamic community coming to their regular place of worship and I think that offers comfort to some people, and familiarity, and can be a lot less intimidating," said nurse Immuniser Faye Webb.
Despite the hesitancy Dr Rahman still believes community clinics like the one at Omar Mosque can play an important role in fighting vaccine hesitancy and boosting vaccination rates.
" [The community] has more trust in a familiar face so it helps organising it in the community rather than going to a random person at the hub," Dr Rahman said.
