Today, a group of GPs, faith and community leaders from Tower Hamlets Citizens will appear on BBC national news after shooting a video reassuring residents. Tower Hamlets has been one of the worst hit boroughs in London in terms of total cases, with 8,147 cases but further estimates that two in five people may have caught coronavirus, many in the first wave who may be susceptible to reinfection if they are not vaccinated as antibodies decline.

Sufia Alam. Maryam Centre Manager. East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre said

It is important that Community leaders share the message that it is safe to give the vaccine and that when we have given it ourselves to explain to our community in our community languages.

We have given vaccinations all our lives. Vaccinations help save lives and prevent the disease from spreading in our society. We have lost so many loved ones and vaccinations give us this hope to come out of this Covid 19 pandemic.

The vaccine is safe and administered safely and we are working on the ground will Barts NHS, Public Health and the Local Authority to ensure we are listening to the community and feeding back issues and problem solving together to save lives and to save the NHS.

The video appeal, which included messages in 4 languages, Bengali, French, Sylheti and English was led by NHS staff and community leaders who have already received the vaccine explained

Work in other cities is also being led by members of our chapters, with chair of Citizens UK: Birmingham chapter Sheik Nuru Mohammed hitting the headlines after he opened his mosque as the first community vaccination centre in the city.