Man lodges police report on receiving empty vaccine syringe
A video showing a Malaysian man being injected with an empty syringe during his COVID-19 vaccination appointment has gone viral on Facebook. The incident allegedly took place at Banting Hospital in Selangor on 6th July 2021, and the man is said to have lodged a police report over what happened.
Investigations are currently ongoing, but the Selangor Health Department has since come out on 8th July to refute the man’s claims. They called the scenario “almost impossible” as there are strict procedures for vaccinations.
Man claimed to receive empty vaccine injection
On 6th July, netizen Simon Ng took to a Facebook group to share his vaccination experience, which had left him puzzled and dismayed as he was allegedly administered an empty syringe by medical officers at the hospital.
Image credit: Facebook
According to the post, the OP managed to get a recording of his vaccine injection process. But he had felt that things were a little odd before he had even got his vaccination.
He said that he had seen his family getting their vaccine jabs before, and knew that the person administering the jab would usually show them the vial containing the vaccine and how many ml of vaccine they were getting.
But that did not happen during his appointment. Instead, he was only asked to turn his head away, and before he even felt a thing, the medical officer had told him that his vaccination was done. He describe the process as swift and painless.
Image credit: Facebook
It was only after he left when he watched his video that he discovered that he was administered an empty syringe for his vaccination.
The discovery left him disappointed, as he said that he has 4 children who can’t get vaccinated, presumably because of their young age. And he wants to get vaccinated so he can keep himself and his loved ones safe.
In an interview with Oriental Daily, Ng shared that he lodged a police report on the matter. He also said that he wanted to bring the incident to light to let those who are getting vaccinated to be cautious during their appointments too.
After the incident, Ng said that he returned to the hospital to request that he be administered another vaccine dose. But to receive it, the medical officers allegedly asked him to delete all traces of the video on his phone.
Ng said that he did so, but he had backed up the video file. This time round, he claimed to have seen several syringes pre-filled with an unknown liquid on the table. But he was again asked to turn his head as his jab was administered. He also said that his syringe was empty – and that the jab was done “for show only”.
The incident allegedly took place at Banting Hospital, as reported by Malay Mail.
According to Berita Harian, Kuala Langat district police chief Supt Ahmad Ridhwan Mohd Nor@Saleh received the report at 6.21PM, and the department has launched an investigation into Ng’s claims.
Selangor Health Department refutes claims
On 7th July, the Selangor Health Department issued a statement to refute claims of empty syringes being administered to those who had gone for the vaccination appointment.
According to the statement, strict checks are in place throughout the vaccination process to ensure incidents such as the one that allegedly happened are avoided. In it, Director Datuk Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman also called the scenario “almost impossible” based on several standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Page 1 of the press statement released by the Selangor Health Department on Facebook
Image credit: Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Selangor
Firstly, vaccinators have been trained to administer vaccines, and are formally appointed by the Selangor Health Department. There’s also a certain number of officers who are required to be present during the vaccination process, including the vaccinator and a personnel, who helps prepare vaccines and dispose of used syringes. The latter ensures that there are no empty syringes, while also acting as a witness.
Page 2 of the press statement released by the Selangor Health Department on Facebook
Image credit: Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Selangor
Vaccine doses that are administered for recipients are also “tagged” during the registration process. These officers also follow through by ensuring that the correct vaccines is administered to each individual, and that the vaccine dose is accurate too.
However, there was no mention in the statement of whether or not showing vaccine vials is part of the SOPs.
Man claims to receive empty vaccine syringe at appointment
Vaccination rollout is currently underway in Malaysia, as frontliners have already administered the vaccine to over 10 million people in the country. But we hope that authorities will investigate Ng’s report thoroughly, so that citizens can be reassured that they are indeed getting properly vaccinated.
Read more here:
- Netizens back police who arrest delivery riders for breaching SOPs
- Antiparasitic drug Ivermectin only approved for animal use, not COVID-19 treatment
- Kids aged 12 to 18 can now register to get vaccinated via MySejahtera
Cover image adapted from: Facebook and Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Selangor