.jpg "Staff at the MSU Medical Centre watch a live broadcast of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin receiving his Covid-19 jab in Shah Alam February 24, 2021. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa")
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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah clarified today that three “influencers” reportedly at the head of the line to be vaccinated against Covid-19 at Hospital Serdang are clinical department heads.
He was responding to a report by the Malaysiakini news portal that the vaccination of three “influencers” ahead of frontline medical personnel tomorrow was affecting morale at the hospital.
“Please be informed that the so-called influencers are our clinical head departments themselves. To encourage their staff frontliners to have the vaccines.
“There will be no cutting queues and no non-medical influencers to be included including from admin staff,” said Dr Noor Hisham in a Twitter post today.
In the report titled “Plan to vaccinate influencers, administrators first leaves frontliners puzzled”, the portal cited unnamed sources as claiming that the hospital wanted to include influencers in the drive as it would encourage others to also take the vaccines.
While the news portal stated that it did not know the identity of the influencers chosen, some readers interpreted it to mean non-medical personnel.
This prompted National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin to issue a denial on Twitter.
“This is not true. I have spoken to @DGHisham. He will issue a statement. Please stop spreading news based on anonymity,” he said in reference to Dr Noor Hisham’s Twitter handle.
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