With the launch of Lebanon‘s vaccination campaign, a video began circulating social media of a Lebanese doctor receiving what has been described as a “fake shot.” The doctor has since stepped forth with a clarification of the controversial video.
The video in question shows a nurse administering a vaccine dose to Dr. Rabih Shahine, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rafik Hariri University Hospital.
However, instead of going through with the process, the nurse appears to refrain from pressing the syringe’s plunger, thus not injecting the shot.
The video went viral on social media in Lebanon and drew critical comments from some Lebanese users, instilling doubt in some people’s minds about the safety of the vaccine and the reason behind the “fake injection.”
In response, Dr. Shahine posted a picture on his Instagram account, showing him clearly receiving a vaccine shot.
He explained in a comment that the video was only a mock rerun of his vaccination that aimed at encouraging people to be vaccinated.
“Dear friends.. to clarify the video thing.. I had already taken the shot however they missed shooting the moment on video, so I was asked to shoot a rerun video to encourage people.. I apologize for the bad execution,” he wrote.
He reiterated the statement in an audio message he has recorded, in which he also noted that he has not experienced any side effects apart from mild local pain at the injection site.
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