Malaysia apologises for ‘human error’ after empty syringe used to deliver coronavirus vaccine

‘Even if there’s one single error, that’s one error too much,’ science minister said. ‘So for those cases where there was human negligence, I apologise’

The country has administered more than 16 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Health Ministry said on Friday

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A Malaysian woman receives a dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: EPA

Published: 2:38pm, 23 Jul 2021Updated: 2:45pm, 23 Jul 2021

Malaysia has confirmed one case of an individual being injected with an empty syringe in its national vaccination roll-out, categorising it as a human error.

The government further identified two cases where individuals were given an extra dose of the coronavirus vaccine due to confusion, said Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in a briefing on Friday.

“Even if there’s one single error, that’s one error too much,” Khairy said. “So for those cases where there was human negligence, I apologise to them. And of course we will do better.”

The one case of “empty vaccination”, which occurred in the northern state of Kedah, was confirmed after the nurse admitted she was negligent due to exhaustion, Khairy said. Disciplinary action would be taken against her, he said. The two individuals who received extra jabs were allowed to do so as it was unclear if they had initially been administered empty syringes, he added.

Thirteen police reports have been lodged so far on the matter, with most of them found to be false or inconclusive, said Khairy. The country has administered 16,024,916 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Health Ministry on Friday.

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