A church where two worshipers allegedly caused a woman to be hospitalized by talking her into taking discredited parasite pills for COVID-19 said it was “saddened” by the situation.
Parish Priest Edward Lim of the Church of the Risen Christ reacted last night by urging members to protect themselves from the coronavirus by approved means after the unnamed woman’s daughter went public about her mother’s hospitalization due to consuming ivermectin under peer pressure.
“We are saddened to learn from a Facebook post and other media reports that one of our parishioners has been hospitalised after ingesting ivermectin (a controlled drug) on the advice of some church friends,” Lim said.
On Sunday, Vanessa Koh Wan Ling complained that her mother was in the hospital due to side effects of the pills she was coaxed into taking by two church friends who feared her mother may not go to heaven if she got vaccinated as her daughter wanted.
Lim fell short of urging his flock to get vaccinated, describing it as a “personal choice” that “cannot be forced upon anyone.” Better yet? “Pray and discern over the decision,” he added.
Koh said it had been difficult to “get through” to her mother, who was convinced by her church friends that the mRNA vaccine went “against the religion” and would bar her from heaven after taking her second Sinopharm jab.
They reportedly told her that ivermectin, a pandemic-era snake oil held up by conspiracy theorists promoting discredited preliminary research, could help “purge out the vaccine and COVID.” Her mother ended up suffering from dizziness, vomiting, loss of appetite, joint pain, fatigue, and inability to walk or stand, Koh said, adding that the pills were purchased illegally.
“It was either this today or a severed mother-daughter relationship which would result in her consuming ivermectin,” Koh said. “At least this today gives her a fighting chance because we have shared with the doctors what was consumed.”
Koh has not responded since Monday to a message seeking comment.
Correction: An earlier headline for this story referred to Lim as a pastor; in fact as the head of a Catholic congregation, he is considered a priest.
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