Malaysian Actress Eina Azman Apologises Following Accusations Of Vaccine Queue-Cutting
The actress and her husband Datuk Paduka Kaiser Gurmeet Harden faced backlash from netizens after she posted on Instagram that they had received the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, 26 May.
By Daranee Balachandar — 28 May 2021, 08:16 PM
Following allegations of cutting the COVID-19 vaccine queue, Malaysian actress Datin Paduka Eina Azman has posted an apology to explain why she had already received the COVID-19 vaccine
On Tuesday, 25 May, Eina — whose real name is Ainur Syakina Azman — shared on Instagram that she and her husband, Datuk Paduka Kaiser Gurmeet Harden, had received the COVID-19 vaccines. The post was accompanied with a photo of the couple at Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) Hospital in Ipoh.
According to the Malay Mail, netizens began to question how the young actress managed to receive the vaccine before most of the country's senior citizens and frontliners, who have yet to receive their injections.
Following the criticism by netizens, the post was deleted.
The 26-year-old actress took to Instagram yesterday, 27 May, to share that she was given the green light to receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to her health problems.
In the post, Eina apologised for causing others to feel uncomfortable due to her photo.
She went on to say that she did not intend to offend anyone with the original post and had thus deleted it on Instagram to prevent the issue from getting more complicated.
According to HRPB director Dr Abdul Malek Osman, medical experts had deemed Eina and her husband as high-risk individuals
The hospital director said in a statement released on Wednesday, 26 May, that the hospital had taken note of the issue and of allegations of queue-cutting by the couple.
He explained, "Based on checks, the couple's eligibility to receive the vaccination was based on referral by a specialist doctor who has treated this couple for health problems and comorbidities they face."
"There were no issues of 'cutting the line' in distributing the vaccines and the couple was included in a list for those who are recommended to receive the vaccines based on specialist doctor's advice because the patients are under the high-risk category."
The statement released by the hospital in Ipoh saying that Eina and her husband were classified as high-risk individuals.
Image via Dr Abdul Malek Osman/Sinar HarianOn her Instagram, the actress stated that she has "health problems" but that they are "too personal to share with the public"
She reiterated that the authorities and hospital had released an official statement regarding the issue.
"With humility, I once again apologise if the uploaded photos had created any misunderstanding," the starlet wrote.
Her apology and explanation comes after netizens took to social media to voice out their frustration about the actress and the situation
Some were frustrated that the actress and her husband had received the vaccine first, when their loved ones who were suffering from chronic illnesses have not received their injections.
Others questioned if the couple hailed from Perak in order to be eligible for the vaccines in the state in the first place.
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