A FULLY vaccinated against Covid-19 status as well as a digital vaccination certificate on MySejahtera can be bought for RM3,000, a buyer told The Malaysian Insight.

The status is sold by people with the backend access to the MySejahtera app and deals are made clandestinely through secure messaging apps such as Telegram.

A businessman with a “Datuk” title, who is not vaccinated, told The Malaysian Insight that he paid “someone in the Health Ministry” RM3,000 for a “fully vaccinated” status on MySejahtera.

“Initially I paid RM1,500 to someone who claimed in a Telegram group that he could get my status upgraded but that turned out to be a scam.

“Then I got to know someone in MOH who said he could do it for RM3,000. I paid via bank transfer to the person and this time I got it, and it looks genuine,” the man said.

He said he had to wait for a month after payment for the updated status and digital certificate to appear ton he app. 

The Malaysian Insight sighted a screenshot of the man’s fully vaccinated status but he later deleted the image.

He said he had refused the Covid-19 vaccines because he felt they were part of an international conspiracy.

The Malaysian Insight informed Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Abd Jalil Hassan of the matter, and he promised to investigate.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was also told of the matter but did not comment except to say, “Go to the police.” 

In August, police began investigating the sale of fake digital Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

Last month, screenshots of a post on Telegram offering different types of vaccination certificates for RM1,500, RM400 or RM200 were widely shared on social media.

The government has virtually made Covid-19 vaccination compulsory by allowing only those who are fully dosed to dine at restaurants, stay in hotels, cross state borders, and travel overseas without applying for permission.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has drawn criticism for recently saying that the government will “continue to make life difficult” for people who refuse to get the Covid-19 jabs.

“Sorry to say, if you are not vaccinated because you choose not to be vaccinated, then we will make life very difficult for you and will continue to make life difficult for you.

“(You) cannot dine at restaurants, cannot go into shopping centres, and we will be releasing a national testing strategy next week… then we will probably ask you to take regular tests, for which you have to pay. The message is to get vaccinated,” he said on Saturday.

Khairy has also said that those with legitimate medical reasons not to be vaccinated need not worry as the ministry will grant them an exemption document.

A 48-year-old man who did not want to be named slammed the government for making threats.

He said he did not want the vaccines “at the moment” because they were still experimental.

“It was the government who said vaccination was not compulsory and now the same government is trying to force people to get the jabs. 

“Do they even have brains? First they say it is okay (not to be vaccinated), not they say you have to take it.

“I choose not to get the vaccine at the moment. If one day I am satisfied with the studies, I will get it. At the moment, I am not convinced,” the man said.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has urged the government to use reason when dealing with those against vaccination.

“I do not support the anti-vaccination group but sometimes their arguments are strong too.

“So we answer with our point, they provide a scientific paper and then we bring a stronger scientific argument to break theirs,” he said in a recent statement.

Khairy’s response, however, was that the government had done enough explaining.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri, meanwhile, has said the government did not intend to cause people to suffer and that any problems faced by those against vaccination were “due to their own attitude”.

The Malaysian Insight has found the the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin being sold as a treatment for Covid-19 on Telegram despite the Health Ministry’s warning against it.

In one Telegram group called Ivermectin Malaysiaku, ivermectin pills are sold at RM35 a strip.

The ministry is currently trialling the drug for high-risk Covid-19 patients and has not approved it for treatment. – October 19, 2021.