Spike Lee urges African-Americans not to sleep on COVID vaccinations

Spike Lee posted images from his coronavirus vaccine shot on Instagram in an effort to encourage other "black and brown people" to get the injection.

The filmmaker, who is a tenured professor at New York University graduate film school, received his Pfizer vaccine jab last week and went public with the procedure on social media because he fears too many African-Americans and Latinos are reluctant to sign up and take the double-dose shot.

"When I took my Pfizer vaccine, I put it on my Instagram and the reason I wanted to do that is, there are too many black and brown people that are hesitant to take the vaccine," Lee told Billboard.

"I understand that, because of the history of medicine and science has used black and brown people... (But) this thing, this coronavirus, is not a hoax and not a game and is devastating our brown and black communities," he explained.

"It is killing black and brown people two and three times more than any other population," he went on, noting: "there is a large, large segment of Black and Brown people who don't want to take the vaccine, don’t trust it".

The Do The Right Thing director said he hoped some people would consider getting the vaccine after seeing himself and other celebrities do so.

"I think it is very important that people take this vaccine," he said.

And Lee is urging fans and followers to stay on top of health and safety measures, with new strains of the virus coming out of the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil adding.

"Another thing that doctors were telling me at NYU is that with these new variants, we all need to start wearing double masks. Double up. This is very important," he insisted.