Bengaluru: No second dose given but many get completion certificates

Karnataka has been administering second doses of Covid vaccines at a brisk rate since mid-November, but there are some concerns over people getting vaccination completion certificates without actually getting the dose.

Koramangala resident Bhojraj (name changed), 52, had abstained from getting a second dose of Covishield after developing a severe adverse effect four weeks after getting his first dose in May. “A severe rash developed on my hands, spreading to my chest, back and abdomen, which lasted for eight weeks,” he explained, clarifying that he had never had a rash in his life.

Following a biopsy, his doctors told him that the cause was an adverse effect due to medication. “Because of this, I was advised to hold off getting the second dose until my antibody levels dropped. At which point, I was advised to take a dose of Covaxin as my second dose,” Bhojraj said.

But with no official policy on mixing vaccines, Bhojraj said he was stuck. Then, to his shock, on December 16, he received a message congratulating him on completing his vaccination cycle.

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“I was stunned to receive the message which is not at all true,” he said. He added that his situation has become complicated by the fact that tests have shown that he has zero antibodies to protect against Covid-19.

“I do not have any antibodies and I require protection. I now face a lot of uncertainty about how to get this second dose,” he said.

It is a problem faced by 46-year-old Chandrika, another city resident. Her son, Shashi Kiran G, explained that his mother, while initially vaccinated in May, had to postpone taking a second dose owing to medical reasons. “She is on heart medication for three months; doctors have advised not taking the vaccine during this period,” he said.

However, on December 11, Kiran said he was surprised to see that his mother had received a message showing that she had completed her vaccination cycle. “This has caused a lot of concern. I think this is a scam by the government to increase the vaccine coverage numbers,” he said.

Govt knows the problem

Health officials said they have received multiple such complaints from the public. “Based on our understanding, 99% of these are errors being made by field staff,” explained Dr Arundhathi Chandrasekhar, Director, National Health Mission, who is among several senior officers in charge of the vaccination programme.

“With vaccinators operating in public places and going house-to-house, phone numbers of recipients are being incorrectly entered in the field. The result is that another person gets a message that they have been vaccinated even though they might not have been,” she added.

Another Bengaluru resident, Dr Shabana, remains unconvinced. Her father-in-law, a retired 78-year-old army officer, also received an erroneous second dose vaccination certificate. “He had received one dose each after having inadvertently registered on two different phone numbers, so the erroneous two-dose certificate is not inaccurate. However, it does not instil trust in the system,” she explained.

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