Vaccination blues: wrong entries inconvenience people in Vizag

Data will be cross-checked before giving the second dose, say officials

April 25, 2021 12:52 am | Updated 12:52 am IST - B. Madhu Gopal

Caution pays:  People queue up to get their second dose of vaccine at the Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

Caution pays: People queue up to get their second dose of vaccine at the Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

Observe COVID-19 protocols and avoid crowding around the registration desk and confusing the doctors and data entry operators, when going for the jab. Be patient and ensure that your personal details and the vaccine, to be administered, are filled in correctly.

A good number of people are getting wrong messages giving them the shock of their lives. This is because the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been advising the people to ensure that the first and second doses of the vaccine should be of the same manufacturer.

There are quite a few instances of people getting wrong messages on the brand of vaccine taken, name and gender. These could be due to negligence of the data entry operators, irresponsible persons, who divert the attention of the person, keying in the details, by picking up arguments with him/her and crowding around the desk. Whatever be the reason, the ultimate victim would be the person who took the jab.

Sankar Rao, a senior citizen of Seethammadhara, and nine other members of his group, took the first dose at a private hospital near Hanumanthawaka about a month ago. They were given the Covishield vaccine but were worried when they later got a message on their mobiles that they had taken Covaxin. As the deadline approached for the second dose, they became jittery and rushed to the private hospital. Thankfully, the hospital staff acknowledged their mistake and issued a correction letter, after checking the register. What if those who took the vaccine, were not aware of what vaccine was given to them as the first dose and go by the message they receive? Some may take the second dose at a different centre and the message they get on the CoWin app is the only way to know what was given as the first dose.

Battiprolu Baby (70), a woman from Marripalem area, was shocked when she got a message after the second dose that gave her name as Battiprolu Gopala Rao, female. Baby had lost her husband Gopala Rao sometime ago and she wanted to visit her children, who are living in the USA.

“Vaccine certificate is mandatory to travel abroad and when there are discrepancies in the first and second dose, wrong name or gender, the Visa could be rejected,” Praja Arogya Vedika (PAV) general secretary T. Kameswara Rao told The Hindu on Saturday.

Both District Medical and Health Officer P. Suryanarayana and District Immunisation Officer Jeevan Rani admitted that errors were occurring due to technical issues but said there was no cause for worry as hard copies were maintained and data would be cross-checked before giving the second dose to the patient.

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