Shopee says Covid-19 vaccine listing image is fake

PETALING JAYA: Online shopping platform Shopee says an image purportedly listing a Covid-19 vaccine on its website is doctored and a fake.

Shopee said the matter came to its attention when an image apparently showing the sale of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine on Shopee was circulated via Twitter and WhatsApp.

"We can confirm that we have not found any similar listing on Shopee.

"The author of the tweet has since confirmed that the image was doctored and indeed fake," Shopee said in a statement Friday (March 5).

It added that the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme is a national health matter that should not be trivialised.

Shopee said the Health Ministry, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) were aware of this fake claim.

"We wish to remind everyone that spreading false information on the vaccine is being monitored by the Royal Malaysian Police and MCMC," it added.

The authorities have also warned the public to be wary of any scams offering vaccines.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Zainuddin Yaacob had said earlier that two police reports were lodged regarding a scam involving the sale of the Covid-19 vaccines, involving losses amounting to RM285,499.

The government has said that the Covid-19 vaccines would be provided for free.

The country kicked off its mass vaccination programme on Feb 24, with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin being the first to be vaccinated.

There are three phases to the immunisation programme, with frontliners being vaccinated in the first phase from February to April.

The second phase runs from April and August, with high-risk groups and senior citizens aged 60 and above being vaccinated.

The rest of the Malaysian population aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated in the third phase, which is from May to February next year.