About this advice

BIMA played a key role in tackling health inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Muslims and other minority ethnic groups in the UK. Their highly meaningful contributions include:

• Effective community engagement and improved awareness of vaccination are needed.
• Higher COVID-19 vaccination rates within underserved communities.
• BIMA engaged with an important number of religious leaders to address many concerns about vaccination during Ramadan, reassuring the community that receiving the vaccine did not invalidate fasting.
• BIMA organised vaccination sessions outside fasting hours for those within the community who still had concerns.
• Dubunking misinformation regarding Covid-19 vaccinations.
• BIMA supported in developing and translating educational resources to counter misinformation and fill knowledge gaps in ethnic minority communities.
• Advocated for simple, practical changes in healthcare settings to accommodate vulnerable populations, such as individuals with learning disabilities, improving their vaccination rates from 50% to 80%.
• Partnered with various stakeholders, including NHS and other healthcare organisations, to implement best practices for increasing vaccine confidence and access.
• During the pandemic, representatives actively participated in key national discussions about healthcare equity and policy recommendations.