THE Ministry of Health and Wellness has been utilising members of the local entertainment fraternity to assist in their drive to get Jamaicans vaccinated in light of the current novel coronavirus pandemic.

The ministry has been releasing a number of public service announcements from several entertainers and industry professionals endorsing the importance of getting vaccinated.

Popular dancehall choreographer-cum-deejay Ding Dong is among the acts involved in this campaign. He stressed the need to protect those around him as his reason for taking the jab.

“I got vaccinated as it is the way to go moving forward to protect myself and my family,” he was quoted as saying on the campaign poster.

Family was also one of the key factors driving the decision of singer Nadine Sutherland.

“I got vaccinated because I wanted to protect myself and the most vulnerable in my family, specifically the elders,” she said in her statement released on social media.

Entertainment insider Sharon Burke also stressed family as part of her decision.

“I took the vaccine in my fight against COVID-19 and variants. I took it for mine and my family’s health, and because I travel constantly. To each his own, but I am on on board with the rising of the global music industry,” said Burke.

For deejay Mr Lexx, the decision to be vaccinated was taken as he saw it as the way forward.

“I’m just doing my part to get past this catastrophe. If everyone does their part we will be okay. We are a strong nation and we will bounce back, but it won’t happen if we continue to be selfish. Do the right thing,” he encouraged.

Theatre personality and broadcaster Dahlia Harris stated that she had reservations but decided to take the jab.

“I was initially sceptical about taking the COVID-19 vaccination because seeds of doubt were planted in my mind by some of the information I read from persons professing expertise. After assessing the matter, I decided that it would be safer for me to take the vaccine. Now I’m fully vaccinated,” Harris shared.

While a number of entertainment personalities have expressed scepticism over the efficacy of the vaccine, others, including Shaggy, Ce’Cile, and Josef Bogdanovich, principal of DownSound Records, have publicly stated their personal decision to take the vaccine.

Jamaica is currently in its third wave of the COVID-19 surge. As of Tuesday, 1,431 people had died from the virus, while 63,831 people had tested positive.