KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has denied speculation that the case of an empty syringe given to a vaccine recipient had links to a black market for Covid-19 vaccines.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba also refuted claims that frontliners were not giving the vaccine so they could sell it to outside parties.
He said it was impossible for frontliners at vaccine delivery centres (PPVs) to resell vaccines because there was a stringent standard operating procedure throughout the inoculation process at all centres.
"This is an isolated case that is under investigation, and action has been taken (to rectify the mistake).
"We cannot accept the stereotyping of one isolated case (as compared) with 15 million inoculations carried out nationwide," Dr Adham told the New Straits Times yesterday.
He said investigations carried out by the ministry found there was no malicious intent on the part of the frontliner in question.
He said the incident was merely a human error caused by the individual's carelessness.
"It has no relation to any reselling of vaccines or unethical dispensing of vaccines to be sold in the black market. Plus, one cannot sell the vaccine on the black market for several reasons.
"One of them is because each vial has an unidentical marking that is linked to the recipient's virtual vaccination certificate."
The storage requirements of Sinovac and Pfizer were also different and they needed a specific temperature for storage, which some private facilities might not have.
"There's also random medical audits at PPV sites, so it's highly unlikely there is any black market for vaccines in the country."
Dr Adham said he regretted what had happened at the drive-thru PPV in Sungai Petani, Kedah.
However, he said, it was sad to see the public losing confidence in the healthcare sector's vaccination system over an isolated incident.
"Yesterday (Wednesday), I received a message from some PPV commanders, who said they noticed the public have started treating frontliners badly, by casting suspicion during the vaccination process.
"All these allegations are putting pressure on our healthcare workers and may affect their morale."
On Monday, the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) addressed claims made in a video that allegedly showed a healthcare worker failing to press the syringe into a recipient at a drive-thru inoculation at a PPV at an army camp in Sungai Petani on July 17.
CITF said the armed forces launched an investigation into the case, and summoned those involved for an explanation. Disciplinary action had been taken against the staff member dispensing the vaccine.
Sentul district police chief Assistant Commissioner Beh Eng Lai said a report had been lodged on a similar situation at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre PPV, and an investigation was ongoing.
Kajang police probed a similar claim at the Bangi Avenue Convention Centre PPV. However, investigations revealed the allegation about a man being injected with an empty syringe turned out to be untrue and that he had indeed been injected with the Sinovac vaccine.
Dr Adham responded to these cases on Tuesday by saying that those deliberately not injected with the vaccine would be given new appointments.
Meanwhile, a captain of industry and two medical specialists said the cases might affect the authenticity of Malaysia's vaccination certificates in the future.
Property developer Seri Alam director Freddie Lee Ah Choy said these claims could have long-lasting and severe implications if not sorted out.
"Numerous news articles about empty syringes and undischarged vaccines into arms have caused unease among those vaccinated about whether they are actually protected."
In a Letter to the Editor in the New Straits Times, which he co-authored with two medical specialists, Lee said any failure to establish strict vaccination protocol might jeopardise the reopening of borders and affect the movement of Malaysians.
Lee's letter was co-written by KPJ Puteri Specialist Hospital consultant urologist and renal transplant surgeon Dr Lee Lim Tiong and the hospital's consultant surgeon, Dr Ab Razak Samsudin. --Additional reporting by Vincent D'Silva