KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — Some police reports on vaccination irregularities were made by those who did not experience any side effects after getting their Covid-19 vaccines, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

In the weekly Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) press conference with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, Khairy said the complainants reported that they did not encounter any symptoms including the typical soreness at the injection site.

The coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) stressed, however, that there were no links between complaints of empty syringes used for vaccination and the black market sale of vaccines.

Khairy added that the police were still investigating black market vaccine sales.

In the weekly Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) press conference with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, Khairy said the complainants reported that they did not encounter any symptoms including the typical soreness at the injection site.

The coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) stressed, however, that there were no links between complaints of empty syringes used for vaccination and the black market sale of vaccines.

Khairy added that the police were still investigating black market vaccine sales.

"I think the first thing that I would categorically like to say today is that of those places that have been reported, empty vaccinations have nothing to do and are not linked to any vaccine selling syndicate.

"I would like to draw the attention of the public to the 13 cases that have resulted in police reports. There are few cases which have been settled, caused by misunderstandings and which have been erased from social media by the complainants. There are cases whereby the complainants lodged police reports because their hands were not sore, because there were no side effects from the vaccine.

"I want to state that the side effects from vaccines differ from one person to another. For example, I did not experience any side effects from my vaccination. However, since my vaccination was done via live telecast and aired nationwide, I feel there was no accusation of being given empty vaccine.

"So in cases where they said their hands were not sore, we checked with doctors and nurses who were responsible for those jabs. There were few cases such as in the Bukit Jalil PPV, UCSI (University College Sedaya International) PPV and others, whereby the health operators had said that they had given perfect doses to the recipients and the recipients did not have proof besides saying their hands were not sore,” he added. PPV is the acronym for the Covid-19 vaccination centre.

Khairy said that the only incident in which a genuine mishap happened was during a drive-through vaccination drive at the Sungai Petani Airport Camp in Sungai Petani, Kedah, whereby the nurse who had administered the vaccination at that time already admitted to negligence caused by fatigue.

He said a warning has been issued to the nurse by the Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) while disciplinary action would also be taken by the Ministry of Health (MoH).

He said for cases at the PPVs in Banting and the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec), additional doses were administered due uncertainty on the part of the healthcare workers on whether enough vaccine was given to the recipients.

"Based on the investigations of the police so far, these are the cases of alleged empty vaccination that have shown to reflect some elements of negligence, in particular the case in Sungai Petani. I would like to urge the public to understand the context of these cases and to ensure that we preserve the integrity of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP), and also the integrity of the thousands of doctors and nurses and frontliners, who are risking their lives, vaccinating at the rate of half a million a day, and if there is human error, human negligence, one or two cases, that we do not paint the entire programme and we do not not blame all the frontiers who are sacrificing themselves on a daily basis for us to go through this pandmeic,” he said.

Khairy also thanked the frontline healthcare workers for their sacrifices at the PPVs, and assured them that they have his support.

Social media has been abuzz with accounts from several vaccine recipients alleging to being vaccinated with empty syringes or receiving low vaccine volume, prompting accusations of vaccine selling syndicate in PPVs.