London (CNN) A powerful new video emphasizing the vital role played by key workers from immigrant and ethnic minority backgrounds in keeping Britain running during the coronavirus crisis has gone viral.

Originally a poem by content director Darren Smith, "You Clap for Me Now" was turned into a video by his colleague Sachini Imbuldeniya.

The work underlines the fact that, while the UK has become increasingly intolerant toward minorities and immigrants in recent years, many people from these backgrounds are now being feted as heroes for their work during the outbreak, Smith told CNN.

For example, nearly half of medical staff employed by the National Health Service come from minority backgrounds, and nearly a third of doctors are immigrants, according to official UK statistics.

They included ear, nose and throat consultant Dr. Amged el-Hawrani, health care assistant Thomas Harvey and Dr. Alfa Sa'adu, who died from coronavirus-related complications.

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