Teens did not die from Covid vaccine, KJ says activist lied
The Health Ministry (MOH) today denied an allegation that three teenagers in Perak and Sabah died after receiving Covid-19 vaccines.
A video featuring a female activist went viral on social media, where she claimed two students of a school in Ipoh and a teenager in Lahad Datu had died after they were inoculated against the coronavirus.
According to the MOH, checks revealed the two school students in Ipoh...
The Health Ministry (MOH) today denied an allegation that three teenagers in Perak and Sabah died after receiving Covid-19 vaccines.
A video featuring a female activist went viral on social media, where she claimed two students of a school in Ipoh and a teenager in Lahad Datu had died after they were inoculated against the coronavirus.
According to the MOH, checks revealed the two school students in Ipoh had not received any Covid-19 vaccine prior to their deaths on Aug 18 and Sept 17.
There was also no report that a teenager had died after receiving Covid-19 immunisation in Lahad Datu, said the ministry.
"A 17-year-old female who was a Form 5 student at SMK Tasek Damai (in Ipoh) who died on Aug 18 was a diabetes type 1 patient, who was dependent on insulin treatment.
"She was infected with Covid-19 prior to her death, which occurred before the start of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for teenagers.
"Another case involved a male Form 5 student of SMK Tasek Damai, also aged 17, who was a congenital heart disease patient. The student was rushed to hospital due to severe bacterial infection.
"Respiratory assistance and resuscitation procedures were performed, but he died on Sept 17.
"The patient had not received any Covid-19 vaccine, and his cause of death has been determined as ‘Sepsis with Underlying Congenital Heart Disease’," said Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali in a statement today.
Type 1 diabetes is when one's pancreas makes insufficient or no insulin, which is a hormone that helps blood sugar enter cells to be used for energy.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults, but it can develop at any age.
Congenital heart defects, meanwhile, are the most common type of birth defect. It can affect the structure of a baby’s heart and the way it works.
"On the claim that a teenager has died in Lahad Datu after receiving Covid-19 vaccine, an investigation revealed there was no death among teenagers who received vaccination reported in Lahad Datu," said Noor Azmi.
He chairs the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force for Adolescents (CITF-A).
Flat out lied, says Khairy
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has also responded to the activist's allegation, saying that she had lied in the viral video.
"This is a statement by the CITF-A chairperson regarding the viral video alleging that teenagers have died due to side effects after being vaccinated.
"Basically, the woman in the video who was speaking with her mask off flat out lied," he said on Twitter when sharing Noor Azmi's statement.
Based on a copy of the viral video, the activist who appeared to be speaking during a protest said they were in solidarity with the parents of teenagers who allegedly died after being inoculated.
She urged other parents whose children suffered from side effects after getting vaccine shots to report it to the health authorities and reach out to the group so they can fight for their rights.
The activist also said two other teenagers in Ipoh, who are siblings, have suffered serious side effects and are in the hospital.
On this, Noor Azmi confirmed there is such a case, where two teenagers aged 16 and 18 have suffered from side effects after receiving the Pfizer vaccine and were warded at a private hospital in Ipoh.
"The 16-year-old child has since been discharged from hospital, while the 18-year-old teenager is still receiving treatment and is under specialist observation at the hospital.
"Checks by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) however revealed that the side effects suffered by the two siblings have yet to be reported," he said.
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