Yellowman cautious about COVID-19 vaccine

Dancehall veteran King Yellowman is among the artistes who have reservations about the COVID-19 vaccine. He said that out of an abundance of caution, he is adopting the same wait-and-see attitude that he has to a new iPhone.

"The way how vaccine a mek now is like as a new one come out, and people rush it. Everybody a mek phone and vaccine now; the only difference is that the vaccine is health, and the phone is a toy. When a new iPhone come out, me watch it fi a year. Me have the iPhone 11 and me a watch what a gwaan with the [iPhone] 12," the Mr Chin deejay told THE STAR.

Acknowledging, however, that a COVID-19 passport is a real possibility, the artiste, for whom international tours are very lucrative, said he will cross that bridge when he reaches it.

"I had overseas festivals and concerts booked for 2020, but dem get postpone until when the world open up. Countries already talking about taking the vaccine if yuh want to travel, so we will all have to eventually do what we feel is the best thing to do," Yellowman said.

He feels that with some persons still so uncomfortable about the vaccine, the leaders of the country should lead by example and also host a virtual town hall.

"The two leaders, Andrew Holness and Mark Golding, should take the vaccine first publicly and mek the people see that dem have confidence in it," he said.

Prime Minister Holness said in Parliament last Thursday that "I intend to get vaccinated, but I will await my turn".

Jamaica has started to administer its approximately 65,000 doses of vaccines to the population. The Indian government donated 50,000 of this amount to the country, while 14,400 doses came through the COVAX facility. While Holness and Golding are yet to take the jab, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton got vaccinated last Friday, nearly two weeks after the first set of the drug was administered.

"I would like to know why it look like dem treating the vaccine from India like that is the one for Third World countries? If that is the case, then I want the one that Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Biden and all those rich people and the politicians are getting," Yellowman said.

While not a follower of the so-called conspiracy theories, King Yellowman believes that it doesn't hurt to keep your guard up, and he even managed to inject a bit of his kind of wry humour while giving his theory.

"This planet is being run by the evilness of the devil. Even the Church a go with them now under the alliance. A woman might sometimes be a man weakness, and dem might can trick me with Nadine, Marlene, Arlene and Vivienne, but dem can't trick me with 'Vaccine'," he declared.

"The vaccine me know is the ones in the 50s when me at Maxfield Park Children's Home. Dem give we vaccine fi mumps and measles and chigga and all dem things."

The Zungguzungguguzungguzeng singer shared that having beat cancer, he can boldly stare diseases in the face. In 1986 he was diagnosed with a malignant tumour, and a large portion of his lower jaw had to be removed. This surgery permanently disfigured Yellowman's face.

"Me nuh 'fraid a no sickness. When me find out about the cancer, I keep it to myself for three months because we were on tour, and I know if I tell dem the tour would cancel, and we needed the money. And even with the operation, me never coward. My positive attitude is my healing and my cure. Negative thinking and fear make you sick," he said.

Yellowman named his last son Kemo. The dancehall king refused to do chemotherapy after he had done a surgery to remove the tumour from his face.