Friday sermons, medical advices, and vaccine centers were all part of efforts British Muslims are leading to encourage their community to get COVID-19 vaccine and save lives.

In another effort to encourage vaccination, a group of Muslim celebrities have united for a video to dispel COVID vaccine myths.

The video, coordinated by Citizen Khan creator Adil Ray, includes London Mayor Sadiq Khan, cricketer Moeen Ali and former Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi among others.

“For the British Asian and black communities, at the very beginning of the pandemic we were told they were perhaps the most vulnerable, that there was a disproportionate number of cases and even deaths,” Ray told BBC.

“Even now there are a disproportionate number of deaths. But nothing was really done about it and that was really quite confusing for a lot of the community. So we felt that we’ve got to try and take the lead a little bit here and dispel some of these myths.”

“This was recorded entirely independently from the government – the only thing we did do was we went to the NHS website for the correct medical guidance,” he added.

Somali-born British journalist Rageh Omaar and his ITV colleague Ranvir Singh join comedians like Sanjeev Bhaskar, Asim Chaudhry and Ranganathan to debunk common vaccine misinformation and misconceptions.

The video comes amid increasing fake news surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine among ethnic minorities.

To dispel these news, Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board urged places of worship and community hubs to be used as vaccination centers in an attempt to inspire confidence.

The board’s chairman, Imam Qari Asim, said: “As an imam, my message is simple – do not trust ‘fake news’, verify before you amplify.”