KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has refuted claims by a woman on a viral video that five teenagers had died due to Covid-19 vaccine, while two others had been taken to hospital in Perak after being vaccinated.
Deputy Health Minister I Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali in a statement today also stressed that disseminating unverified information to the public was an irresponsible act and warned those who made public statements to face consequences for their action.
It was claimed that the fatalities involved teenagers in Perak, Sabah and at an undisclosed location.
"In the video that went viral, it was said that two students from Sekolah Menengah Tasek Damai in Ipoh and a teenager in Lahad Datu, Sabah, had died after receiving their Covid-19 shots.
"Based on our investigations, a 17-year-old female student from SMK Tasek Damai was an insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetes patient. She contracted Covid-19 and died on Aug 18, before the start of the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme for Adolescent.
Another student, a 17-year-old male student from the same school, died due to sepsis with underlying congenital health disease.
"He was taken to the hospital's emergency department following a severe bacterial infection. Respiratory assistance and resuscitation were administered, but he died on Sept 17 and did not receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
"The cause of his death was sepsis with underlying congenital health disease."
On the case in Lahad Datu, Dr Noor Azmi said further investigation did not find any fatality involving a teenager there after being vaccinated.
Meanwhile, on two other teenagers suffering from adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) after receiving their Covid-19 shots in Ipoh, Dr Noor Azmi said the siblings had been admitted to a private hospital.
"The siblings, who are 16 and 18, suffered side effects of Comirnaty vaccine.
"The 16-year-old teenager was allowed to go home, while the 18-year-old is still undergoing treatment and observation by a specialist at the hospital."
Dr Noor Azmi, who is the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force-Adolescent (CITF-A) chairman, said the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) had yet to receive reports on side effects experienced by the two siblings.
"The ministry would like to advise government and private medical practitioners to immediately make an AEFI report to the NPRA, should they suspect that their patients are suffering from side effects due to the vaccine," he said.
In a one-minute and 38-second video that went viral, a woman had demanded the right for school students not to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and claimed that two students from SMK Tasek Damai in Perak and a teenager from Lahad Datu had died from Covid-19 vaccines.
She also claimed that a few other teenagers had suffered Covid-19 vaccination side effects.
In the same statement, Dr Noor Azmi said dissemination of false information to the public was an irresponsible act.
"Before making any public statement, verify the information with the source. False statements will lead to confusion from parents in the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme for Adolescent."
He also advised parents and guardians to monitor the condition of their children after receiving the Comirnaty vaccine.
"Side effects can happen after vaccination and the side effects are mostly mild. Please take your child or dependent to a health facility immediately for treatment if they experience symptoms after receiving the vaccine such as chest pain, breathing difficulties, palpitations, swelling, and itching."
Earlier, Perak police chief Datuk Mior Faridalthrash Wahid denied that two students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tasek Damai here died after receiving their Covid-19 vaccine.
He said investigations revealed that the deaths were from Covid-19 and a heart attack.