They should instead use their celebrity status to encourage more people to take up the Covid-19 vaccine in the bid to put an end to the pandemic, said its president Freddie Fernandez.

“The arts industry has been one of the worst-affected by the pandemic. Therefore, artistes should be able to see how getting vaccinated can help us regain normalcy in our lives, allowing us to go out again and earn an income,” he told Bernama.

He said the government had done their best to promote the importance of getting vaccinated against Covid-19, with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin himself setting an example by getting inoculated.

“So why are we still resisting this if it can help us protect ourselves and the community from Covid-19?” Fernandez asked.

Meanwhile, Persatuan Seniman Malaysia president Zed Zaidi said that while he respected the personal decision of some celebrities to refuse vaccination, they should not act selfishly by issuing statements that can influence fans into making similar decisions as well.

“The vaccine is one of the efforts taken by the government that wants to protect its people. We should support it and use our large social media fan base to promote its necessity and benefits.

“Celebrities have their own following, with fans who follow closely what they say and what they do. That is why I’m calling out to each and every one of them to be more responsible when coming out with vaccine-related statements on their social media accounts,” he said.

Zed believed that rejection of the vaccine stemmed from a lack of information or getting it from unreliable sources.

Several local celebrities have set social media abuzz lately for openly rejecting the Covid-19 vaccination, claiming it to be due to questionable ingredients in the vaccines.

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Plan was launched on Jan 24, providing free vaccinations for everyone in the country, local or otherwise.