Beware of Covid-19 vaccine 'agents', Ismail Sabri reminds public
UPDATED 10.30PM: Included Health Ministry director-general’s warning against fake vaccines and fake vaccine advertisements online.
Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has advised the public to be careful with anyone claiming to be a Covid-19 vaccine agent.
Ismail reminded the public that there were only two parties involved in coordinating the country's immunisation programme, namely the Health Ministry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti).
UPDATED 10.30PM: Included Health Ministry director-general’s warning against fake vaccines and fake vaccine advertisements online.
Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has advised the public to be careful with anyone claiming to be a Covid-19 vaccine agent.
Ismail reminded the public that there were only two parties involved in coordinating the country's immunisation programme, namely the Health Ministry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti).
"There are many who have taken advantage and claimed that they are agents from certain companies providing vaccines.
"If anyone is approached by such individuals, please contact Mosti or the Health Ministry. Whoever claims they have the vaccine is a liar," he said in a media briefing today.
Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has also warned against purchasing “fake vaccines” online.
In a separate broadcasted press conference this evening, Noor Hisham similarly urged the public to only receive vaccines from the government.
He shared that an advertisement for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on a local online shopping platform was found to be “fake”.
“The pharmaceutical enforcement department found that the advertisement was fake.
“They, along with the cyber forensics unit and local and international organisations like Interpol, are always monitoring the sale of Pfizer vaccines online,” he said.
Noor Hisham stressed that no entity in the country was approved to sell Covid-19 vaccines.
“There are many fake vaccines in the market. We advise the public to get vaccines from the ministry and trusted sources,” he said.
Earlier, the police announced that they received two reports regarding a Covid-19 vaccine scam involving RM288,499 in losses.
Ismail also urged the public to register for the vaccination programme and raised concern that only 1.9 million people had registered for the programme so far.
"This number is still small compared to the Malaysian population of almost 33 million," he said.
Other than the MySejahtera mobile app, the registration, he said, can also be done via this website. The public can also register their names at the nearest health clinic or government hospital beginning tomorrow.
He said Mosti will also announce a hotline number in the near future to help the public to register for the immunisation programme.
Continue to work from home
On another matter, Ismail said while many states have moved to a conditional or recovery movement control order (MCO), those working in the public or private sectors should not return to their offices.
"The directive (to work from home) will remain. We will discuss in a meeting whether there's a need (to retract this instruction)," he said.
He was asked to comment on allegations that some public officers were asked to return and work in the office due to the change in the MCO status.
