Vaccination mess: UT administration gives 2nd dose of COVISHEILD to dead woman at a special camp in Jammu

BUNTY MAHAJAN

JAMMU, NOVEMBER 20: The Central Government’s CoWIN website for vaccination, in a major goof up on Saturday, reported a 60-year old housewife who died nearly five months ago, as fully vaccinated.

Jyoti Gaind, wife of Vijay Kumar Gaind, a resident of Patoli Mangotrian, had died at BEE ENN General Hospital, Talab Tillo, on June 28 this year, her family members said. The details of her death were registered under registration number 4638 in the records of the Registrar of Births and Deaths at the Jammu Municipal Corporation on June 30 and a certificate regarding her death issued to her family members on July 27.

According to her family members, she had received the first jab of COVISHEILD on May 15 and she was due to receive the second jab after 180 days. However, she died during treatment to some other health related issue at the hospital 42 days after getting the first jab of COVISHEILD.

On Sunday, her family members were in for a shock when her son received a message on his mobile phone, which she had registered on CoWIN at the time of getting the first jab, saying that she has been administered the second dose of COVISHEILD at a special session in Jammu on November 20.

The UT administration is holding special camps to fully vaccinate the left over population those who have been administered first dose but have not taken he second jab even after the expiry of 180 days.

Significantly, this is not the first case of CoWIN website reporting a mix-up in the Union Territory. Early this month, another family had received a message about full vaccination of a person who had died seven months ago.

Identified as Jagdish Chander Saini of Upper Gummat, the deceased had got the first jab of the vaccine in March this year and died a month later. However, on November 11, his family got an SMS on registered mobile number that he has been administered second dose as well.

Sources attributed these irregularities to officials attempt to show 100 per cent vaccination of the people.  

The government has claimed that India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 115.73 crore, with the administration of more than 46 lak vaccine doses till 7 PM Friday. However, the irregularities like vaccination of even the dead people put a question mark over such claims, at least in Jammu and Kashmir.