A Malaysian Instagram influencer found himself at the receiving end of intense backlash for verbally abusing a nurse over a Covid-19 test. Syed Syafiq confronted and threatened to sue the nurse who took his nasal swab that the influencer claimed was painful.
Syafiq posted a video of himself crying after the nurse took his nasal swab on Instagram stories. According to the influencer, the swab was "too deep" and the nurse did not listen to his request to slow down.
Following the test, Syafiq told her he would not forgive her and caller a "b**ch." In the video, the nurse and her colleagues could be seen explaining to him that the procedure to take the nasal swab was proper. However, the influencer claimed that the nurse was being defensive and called her a "f***ing b*t*ch." Following the confrontation, the nurse apologized, which Syafiq said was not sincere. On his Instagram stories, he threatened to sue her saying "see you in court b**ch."
Syafiq told his followers that he did not intend to embarrass the nurse.
"All I wanted was for her to realize and do her job properly, not just get it done with, especially after I told her specifically to do it slowly. This is also for some of you that experienced this and never been able to say anything about it," he said. "Voice out your pain or discomfort. Don't just let it be. If she can't accept this kind of constructive criticism, she'll never get better!"
However, Syafiq's behavior with the nursed did not go down well with his followers. Social media users defended the nurse saying she was not responsible for his reaction to the Covid-19 test. They also reminded the influencer that there were several people who took the painful nasal swab tests and did not complain about it.
The backlash prompted Syafiq to issue an apology for his "disrespect" and said that he met the nurse and her colleagues apologized to them too.
"I should be more understanding of how people are when they are working and under stress. I truly apologize to both of them, and every other front-liner that have sacrificed their time, energy and safety for the safety of others," he said.
