KUCHING: A 32-year-old man who showed up wearing a Spiderman-man costume at the Kozi Square vaccination centre three weeks ago returned as Iron Man today for his second dose.
Mohd Syah Nizam Rajap said he ordered the Iron Man costume from Indonesia some three years ago at a cost of about RM1,500.
"Initially, it was just a hobby – for my personal collection as I am a big fan of Spider-man and Iron Man. But, my wife and family have encouraged me to wear it for performances and events," he said.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Syah has not had any opportunity to put on the superhero costumes due to the absence of gigs.
Thus, he decided to make use of his superhero costume to cheer up the medical staff, volunteers and those who went for their Covid-19 vaccine at the centre.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every one of us, many are struggling. So, I hope to put a smile on (people's) faces. Besides, it (my costume) lightens the atmosphere so that everyone feels less stress or eases the tension," he said.
Syah, who works at Tabung Baitulmal, said he was the Spider-man who came for the vaccination on June 25, photos of which had been circulating on social media.
"Today, I decided to put on my Iron Man costume. I hope it can raise awareness on the importance of getting vaccinated, which is why even `superheroes' need to be vaccinated to stop the spread of Covid-19," he added.
The medical staff and public, he said, were excited when he arrived at the premises and were waiting to take a photo with him.
"I didn't even have any chance to take a photo of myself with my own phone as many of them wanted to have a picture of them with me and I don't want to disappoint them," he said.
Syah said he had fun bringing cheer to those at the PPV this morning, but what he did was only miniscule to what the frontliners had contributed and sacrificed to save lives during the pandemic.