13-year-old, among others, gets false Covid-19 vaccination message on MP's day of record jabs

Many people in Madhya Pradesh, who never went to get the Covid-19 vaccine, have received messages from the government saying otherwise

While children below 18 years are not allowed to get the Covid-19 vaccine in India, 13-year-old Vedant Dangre’s father received a message from the government, confirming that his son received his Covid-19 vaccination last Monday.

The message from the government came on the day Madhya Pradesh reported to have administered 17.4 lakh doses.

“When I downloaded the certificate using the link, I was shocked to find out they have used his documents which I submitted a few days back to the municipal corporation for his pension (as a person with special needs)," Rajat Dangre, Vendath’s father, told NDTV.

Read | Covid-19: Punjab oxygen cylinders get unique ID as state prepares for 3rd wave

Since the state’s vaccination numbers have shot up, many people like Vendant who never went to get a Covid-19 vaccine have received messages from the government saying otherwise.

In a more shocking incident, Chainendra Pandey, 52, from Satna, received messages from the government of Covid-19 vaccine confirmation of three people whom he doesn’t know. "Three messages within five minutes. Just the name is different. I have not got any vaccine to date," he told NDTV.

Bhopal’s Nuzhat Salim, 46, also received a similar message with her pension documents recorded as her identity proof, while she is not a pensioner.

Denying the allegations made by people, Vishwas Sarang, Medical Education Minister, said, "There is no such problem. I don't know from where you got the information. I am hearing this for the first time. If anything comes up, we will get it investigated.”

Read | 40% higher hospital mortality in second Covid-19 wave, suggests new study

Leaders in the opposition have been making speculations about BJP-led Madhya Pradesh’s vaccination numbers since June 21.

"New figures are coming out every day. The vaccine was given to a 13-year-old child and a dead person. Forty-seven villages in Betul did not get the vaccine. This vaccine record is nothing but a PR gimmick," Narendra Saluja, Congress spokesperson, told the publication.

Since June 21, Madhya Pradesh reported having vaccinated 11.43 lakh people on June 23, 7.05 lakh on June 24, and 9.64 lakh on June 26. However, between all these days, on June 22, it only vaccinated 4,842 people.