Manila — A video circulating online highlighted an alleged “faked injection” of the Covid-19 vaccine in the Philippines.
One Allan Bernabe took to Facebook on Jun 29 to share the incident.
At the beginning of the video, the nurse could be seen disinfecting the vaccine recipient’s arm for the jab.
She repeatedly asked the recipient to “relax” his arm for the procedure.
With the syringe in hand, she informed the recipient of the injection about to take place.
However, the video showed the nurse failing to push the plunger, which would release the syringe contents.
“This time, there’s no more room for doubt,” said Mr Bernabe.
“The nurse deliberately faked the injection.”
He noted how her thumb was already on the plunger flange.
“All she had to do is instinctively push it in,” he noted. “But she made a conscious effort to hold back, which is quite an awkward act, risking an accidental spillage during the pull-out.”
“It seems more than likely that these nurses are given specific instruction to fake the injections,” claimed Mr Bernabe.
With over 783,000 views and 593 comments, members from the online community expressed disappointment at the incident, wondering how the country has “gotten this low.”
Many shared concern for those who could not capture their vaccination to ensure the dose was properly injected.
Others extended understanding towards frontline medical workers, noting they are exhausted, thus possibly forgetting to push the plunger.
A similar incident was confirmed on Jun 28 when the Department of Health (DOH) announced an “isolated” case of a breach in Covid-19 vaccination protocols in Makati City.
DOH noted that a nurse administering the Covid-19 vaccine into a woman’s arm failed to press the plunger to release the contents.
“This is a clear breach of vaccination protocol,” DOH said in a CNN Philippines report.
“The vaccine recipient, who was filming the incident, noticed that the healthcare worker failed to push the contents of the syringe. The vaccination site was quick to address the mistake, and she was successfully vaccinated after showing the video to the vaccination team.”
Although appalled by the negligence incident, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III noted it was an honest mistake.
He urged the public to double-check if the syringe contents are fully injected when getting vaccinated.
“Our vaccinators are also tired,” he added.
It has not been confirmed if the video uploaded by Mr Bernabe is the same incident highlighted by DOH.
Since Mar, over 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with at least 2.52 million of the population completing the vaccination process. /TISG
Read related: Singapore National Eye Centre staff receives 5 doses of Covid-19 vaccine by mistake
Singapore National Eye Centre staff receives 5 doses of Covid-19 vaccine by mistake