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Celebrities including comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Meera Syal and cricketer Moeen Ali have made a video urging people to get the Covid vaccine.
The video was co-ordinated by Citizen Khan creator Adil Ray, who said he wanted to dispel vaccination myths for those from ethnic minority communities.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and former Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi are among the others taking part.
We all have to do something to help one another during these difficult times. Here s a message we have recorded for members of our Ethnic Minority communities. Please share and retweet. #covid19#vaccinepic.twitter.com/16YUvgxxse Adil Ray OBE (@adilray) January 25, 2021
Nurse administers a coronavirus vaccine. Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
More than 6.5 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, but misinformation about the jab continues to spread.
With jabs being administered at a rate of 250 a minute, Imams, influencers, medics and government officials have been debunking some of the most harmful content being shared.
Myth: Vaccines are mandatory
Reality: A video widely shared on social media claims because the Covid regulations are law, this means there will be “mandatory vaccines, house arrest until people are vaccinated and children forced to be vaccinated”.
This is not true.
Parliament did vote in favour of Covid-19 regulations to introduce a new national lockdown, but this does not make vaccines mandatory.
Children cannot be vaccinated without parental consent and adults can choose whether or not to take the jab.
Imam Qari Asim told the PA news agency: “Misinformation can result in someone losing their life and it is one of the core principles of Islam that protection of life is extremely important.
“My message to Muslim communities is that it is our ethical obligation, moral duty, to take the vaccine whenever the opportunity arises.”
– MYTH: Vaccines make you infertile
FACT: Professor Lucy Chappell, a consultant obstetrician specialising in women with medical problems in pregnancy, says it is understandable that there have been questions about the new vaccines but said that fearful claims, which can be found online, have never been substantiated.
– MYTH: The vaccine is not halal/contains pork products FACT: Claims that the vaccine contains gelatin have caused concern in religious communities. However, vaccine manufacturers have said the vaccine does not contain any animal ingredients and no animal-derived cells were used. The British Islamic Medical Association has recommended at-risk individuals within the Muslim community get vaccinated, and the Mosque and Imams National Advisory Board is running a campaign to encourage Muslim communities to get vaccinated. KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT COVID & VACCINES With so much info & mis information being spread, how do you know what to believe? ✅ BIMA has put together infographics concisely answering common myths
Imam Qari Asim told the PA news agency: “Misinformation can result in someone losing their life and it is one of the core principles of Islam that protection of life is extremely important.
“My message to Muslim communities is that it is our ethical obligation, moral duty, to take the vaccine whenever the opportunity arises.”
– MYTH: Vaccines make you infertile
FACT: Professor Lucy Chappell, a consultant obstetrician specialising in women with medical problems in pregnancy, says it is understandable that there have been questions about the new vaccines but said that fearful claims, which can be found online, have never been substantiated.