But they didn’t have to panic as it was just 39-year-old fitness instructor Kenny Sia, who dressed up for his Sunday appointment in a full dinosaur costume, much to the amusement of people and medical workers at the vaccination centre in Kuching.

Sia told Reuters he chose to wear the costume to make people laugh as well as to protect himself.

“Rather than wearing only face masks or face shields, I decided to go the whole way. The whole suit is effectively a PPE (personal protective equipment) – it’s one of those overall suits,” he said.

“I know the frontliners there are working day and night, vaccinating 5,000 to 6,000 people a day, so they probably are very tired. And anything that can lift their mood, I’ll be happy to do it.”

Malaysia has vaccinated about 10% of its population, faster than most of its neighbours, though the number of reported infections remains high.

The country reported 8,754 new cases on Monday, taking total infections to 844,870, the third highest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines.