Healing the Divide chat group member testifies about how he was offered saline for COVID-19 vaccine

SINGAPORE: A member of the Healing the Divide chat group, known for its stance against vaccination, testified on Thursday (Aug 28) about how he was offered a choice between taking a Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine and a saline injection at a clinic.

Mr Cedric Lim Jun Qi, a 35-year-old private hire and delivery driver, is the first patient testifying in the trial against Healing the Divide founder Iris Koh Hsiao Pei, 49, Dr Jipson Quah, 37, and Dr Quah's then-clinic assistant, Thomas Chua Cheng Soon, 43.

Quah is contesting 17 charges of dishonestly making false representations to the Health Promotion Board that his patients had received the COVID-19 vaccines, when they had not.

He is accused of conspiring with Koh, Chua and his patients in this matter.

Mr Lim took the stand as a prosecution witness on Thursday afternoon. Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelvin Chong told the court that the prosecution had not spoken to Mr Lim before this hearing.

Under questioning from Mr Chong, Mr Lim initially said he did not have interactions with the three people on trial other than meeting Chua at the police station, meeting Dr Quah in his clinic and seeing Koh on the news. 

This prompted laughter from the bystanders in the public gallery, which included elderly men who commented audibly on the proceedings.

Mr Lim described how he was in the Healing the Divide Telegram group and sent "rows of text" to the chat group, saying that he was going to take his vaccine.

He explained that he needed to keep his job as a private-hire driver at the time in January 2022 and had delayed his COVID-19 vaccine until the last minute.

Asked to explain the content of his texts, Mr Lim said: "Something along the lines, like, that I'm going to take a vaccine because, like, I want to keep my job, because I'm about to lose my job at that time, because there was a deadline, so it's like with a heavy heart I'm going to take the vaccine so I already (booked) an appointment."

He said he had a "heavy heart" because he had read up about the "harmful effects of the vaccine" and was "a bit worried", so he had taken a "wait and see approach".

He said he had gone to a clinic in Punggol in January 2022 to get his COVID-19 jab when Koh called him.

"She called and told me that, you know, you want to consider taking Sinopharm, I can introduce you to a doctor who can give you the vaccine according to your body weight," said Mr Lim.

On questioning by the prosecutor, he said he did not verify if this was true.

"At the time, my thoughts were - OK, it sounds fair enough, because like the vaccine right, the dosage is like, if you want to give a child ... the dosage will be different for different sizes," he said.

Mr Lim then left the queue at the Punggol clinic. He said he went to Dr Quah's clinic in Yishun either that day or the next day.

He went to the clinic with his wife, and said he told Dr Quah that he was very afraid about taking the vaccine, as it had "unknown content".

"We had a conversation, and then I also told him why I chose a non-MRNA one instead of going for like Pfizer or Moderna," said Mr Lim. 

"So there was a discussion and I'm also afraid of jabs as well, because generally I'm afraid of being jabbed."

He said Dr Quah told him not to worry and tried to calm him down.

"Then after that, he actually, like, took out two translucent tubes of saline and he actually (laid them) on the table," said Mr Lim. 

He said Dr Quah placed the tubes of saline next to two boxes of Sinopharm and asked him to check the expiry dates on the Sinopharm boxes.

"It was like a new box of Sinopharm," said Mr Lim. "So after that, he tell me, so ... uh, how to say ah, so, which one I want to choose. So because I was scared, then I chose the saline."

Asked how he knew it was saline, Mr Lim said: "He showed me, and the tube, last time in the Science lab, I see before. He just say only lah, but it's just like a plastic, then after that, he took away everything off the table."

He said his wife chose the Sinopharm, but he chose the saline "last minute" out of "fear".

After this, Dr Quah removed the items from the table and returned to give them their jabs.

Mr Lim said his wife told him not to choose the saline, saying that they were supposed to be there for the vaccine.

After he was administered his jab, Mr Lim said he was given a small piece of gauze to hold against the jab site.

"Then after that, ... Dr Jipson (came) and (shook) our hand and said - congratulations, you are vaccinated," said Mr Lim. 

He said he felt "very confused" at that moment, because he had chosen the saline.

"I don't know what he did, he just take the syringe and just jab," said Mr Lim.

He said he did not know what was inside his syringe as he had looked away. He then made payment for the jabs, which cost S$70 each.

NO VACCINE RECORD, SO HE GOT JABBED AGAIN

After receiving the jab at Dr Quah's clinic, Mr Lim said he went back to the Punggol clinic to be vaccinated as there was no record of his vaccination in Dr Quah's system.

He needed to keep his job, so he went to take the jab, he said.

He said he had tried to call Dr Quah's clinic to ask about it, but nobody picked up the phone, so he texted Koh.

Mr Lim said Koh then linked him up with Dr Quah's assistant, Chua, over Telegram. Mr Lim told Chua that he did not get any proof of vaccination, and Chua sent him a memo from Dr Quah stating that he had been vaccinated.

Asked why he agreed to take the saline solution instead of Sinopharm, Mr Lim said: "Because at that time, I'm scared. I don't know what is the content. So he (was) like saying the content is saline, he just say like that, that's why he take out the saline tube ... then after that I see, then out of fear I just say, OK, OK, saline."

He added that he did not see what Dr Quah eventually injected him with, saying the doctor had taken the saline and Sinopharm out of his sight.

Mr Chong asked Mr Lim if it was an actual injection, with the liquid in the syringe pushed into his body.

Mr Lim said: "That one, I cannot really feel, because it was so quick, but he jabbed me then gave me a gauze."

At one point, the prosecution asked Mr Lim to leave the courtroom and told the judge that they were applying for leave to cross-examine their own witness, with a view to impeaching him.

Mr Chong said he needed some time to show the "material inconsistencies" between at least two statements Mr Lim had previously given, and the testimony he had just given orally in court.

Mr Chong said he was "inclined" to treat Mr Lim as a hostile witness.

The trial continues.

Dr Quah is represented by Mr Adrian Wee, while Mr Wee Pan Lee defends Koh. Chua is unrepresented.