The Malaysian government is roping in sports personalities to raise public trust in Covid-19 vaccination, due to start next week, even as local celebrities have jumped in to help workers hit hard by the pandemic.
Amid surveys showing public uncertainty about the jabs, professional ten-pin bowler Shalin Zulkifli, national swimmer Welson Sim and gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi have begun appearing in videos on social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter to soften hearts on the coronavirus jab.
Health Ministry surveys have found that about one-third of Malaysians are unsure about or unwilling to take the vaccine voluntarily, despite inoculation being free.
Ms Shalin, 42, said she immediately agreed to be part of the campaign when she was contacted by Malaysia's Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry last week.
"Even before that, I was already contemplating volunteering... so when they contacted me, there was no doubt that I was going to say yes," she told The Straits Times.
In their respective campaign videos, Ms Shalin, Mr Sim and Ms Farah attempt to debunk medical and Covid-19 vaccine myths, and urge the public to consult experts.
The clips have been making the rounds on social media with the tagline "lindung diri, lindung semua (protect yourself, protect everyone)".
Coordinating Minister for Covid-19 Immunisation Khairy Jamaluddin, referring to misinformation about the jabs, said on Sunday: "There is no proof that the vaccine can endanger lives or health. The vaccine will not change the recipient's DNA make-up.
"We need to place our faith in science, not conspiracy theories making their rounds in our family or neighbourhood WhatsApp groups which cite fake sources."
Malaysia has not made it mandatory for people to be vaccinated.
The country will receive its first batch of Covid-19 vaccines - one million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech - tomorrow. The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme starts next Friday.
Noting that everyone has a role to play, the Malaysian Artistes Association (Seniman) said its members are ready to fulfil their social-responsibility obligations by being a bridge between health experts and the public.
"We have 7,000 members in Seniman and we'd love to be part of the campaign to help the government to influence, educate and be the medium to spread correct information on the vaccine and its effectiveness," Seniman president Zed Zaidi told ST.
Some celebrities and social media influencers have also personally taken up the fight against Covid-19, at a time when their own careers and incomes have taken a hit due to the pandemic.
Malaysia's No. 1 songbird, Siti Nurhaliza, last year initiated a humanitarian fund to help front-liners and those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 42-year-old singer has also been actively reviewing products at no charge on Instagram, where she has eight million followers, in an attempt to help small businesses weather the pandemic.
Social media influencer and actress Zarina Anjoulie also took the initiative to buy groceries for those struggling to put food on the table.
