“We should have a public figure being vaccinated to set an example and build trust for the vaccine,” said Dr Khor Swee Kheng.

“This is like what Elvis (Presley) did with polio when he got a (polio) shot live on television,” he added.

The singer got a polio vaccination on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, which helped to drive vaccination rates up and help eradicate the disease in the United States.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin last week said the government had plans to increase its purchase of the Covid-19 vaccine to immunise up to 70% of Malaysians compared with the current amount provided by pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the Covax facility that can cover 30% of the population.

However, the speed at which vaccines have been fast-tracked and rolled out have led to concerns about their safety and effectiveness and also, among some Muslims here, as to whether they are shariah compliant.

Khor was speaking at a webinar titled ‘The Science, Politics & Geopolitics of the Covid-19 Vaccine’ which was presented by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), a Singaporean think tank.

Khor is an independent consultant for the World Health Organization.

Khor also called for a risk communication plan “that starts today” and that should run until the end of the vaccine rollout.

Not only would such a plan build vaccine confidence, he said, it would also assure the public that the side effects of vaccine trials had been very “low and predictable”.

The WHO says a risk communication plan refers to the exchange of real-time information, advice and opinions between experts and people facing threats to their health, economic or social well-being. Ultimately, such plans are aimed at enabling people at risk to take informed decisions to protect themselves and their loved ones.