Just when the world was in grief and on the verge of losing hope, the vaccines came in. The timing was perfect and brought in hope amid despair. The massacre by the virus has been heart-breaking, but the vaccine is here, and the vaccination drive is on!
Open the newspaper; there’s a leaflet inside is asking you to get vaccinated. Your letterbox might have one such pamphlet as well. There is a conspiracy theory, and people are dying. Singapore has the vaccine, and Phua Chu Kang is asking us to get vaccinated!
The latest video is a part of the Singapore government’s vaccination campaign. It is making headlines at home and overseas. Why not? When the world is almost ravaged by the deadly virus, vaccines are the savior. When finally covid-19 vaccines are here, this video adds to the campaign momentum! It brings in hope, informative and entertaining at the same time.
“Faster go and vaccinate” loud and clear in a peppy and happy setup. The YouTube music video features on gov.sg – the Government’s YouTube channel and the video has 1,357,771 views so far. Not just that, the footage grabbed attention from overseas and got featured by Australia’s ABC News and the prestigious British daily, The Guardian, as well.
It’s like a bubble of positivity amid the gloom. The video is bright and beautiful.
Phua Chu Kang’s Covid-19 Video
It is one video that Singapore is talking about. In it, we have our very own Phua Chu Kang – the best contractor in Singapore, JB, and some say Batam. Phua – acted by actor Gurmeet Singh, is your friend-next-door, in a clean and cool look with trademark yellow boots, dances to the exhilarated music and asks you not to wait to vaccinate. “Singapore, don’t wait and see. Better get your shot. Steady pom pi pi.” His wife – enacted by actress Irene Ang, is doubtful. She says, “Chronic illness still can take? I’m not sure, I am quite afraid.” Phua thus explains to her that the vaccine is safe; if you doubt, you can ask the doctors at the clinic. There is nothing to panic about it. “It’s safe for most, including elderly. Because the government got check properly.”
Resistance to vaccination has majorly slowed down the vaccination drive. The video is seen as a strategic approach by the government in getting the message across to you more convincingly. That’s pretty obvious. Vaccination can effectively slow down the spread and protect you from the worst consequences. Isn’t that what you wanted?
The government’s decision in having this video in the covid-19 campaign has been a great help in improving public health against the crisis. The character – Phua Chu Kang has guy-next-door appeal, and that syncs well among the citizens. It’s not like preaching where some authority asks people to follow something, but a fellow being, just one among us, has been vaccinated and is happy with it. He is sharing the information and clearing doubts and on the other hand, his wife – Rosie, played by Ang, represents resenting citizens. It’s like watching a conversation that even happens in our own drawing rooms.
The Singapore Government has been proactively dealing with the covid-19 pandemic ever since it started showing up. Though the numbers are low yet taking a chance is not worth the risk. Vaccination is the only way to tackle this pandemic – one of the most ruthless among the many ever witnessed by humankind.
Although everything terrible has happened over a year, there’s hope, and we cling to it. When all of us get vaccinated, no one gets infected and affected. So, make sure you get your jab! “Singapore, don’t wait and see. Better get your shot.”