Saturday, 08 January 2022 06:00

Man takes 11 jabs of Covid-19 vaccine

Rate this item
(0 votes)

A man in India got jabbed with a Covid-19 vaccine at least eight times last year, a health official said.

Brahmdeo Mandal, 65, has claimed that he received 11 doses of the vaccine in Bihar state.

The retired postman said the jabs had helped him to get rid of aches and pains and "stay healthy". He claimed he had not suffered any adverse effects.

Mondal was finally stopped from taking what he claimed was his 12th jab at a camp last week.

A probe is underway to find out how Mr Mandal, who lives with his family in Madhepura district, managed to get multiple jabs.

"We have already found evidence that he took eight jabs from four places," Amarendra Pratap Shahi, civil surgeon of Madhepura, told the BBC.

Since vaccination began on 16 January last year, India has been mainly administering two locally-manufactured vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin. The two-dose vaccines have a gap from 12-16 weeks and four to six weeks after the first dose respectively.

Vaccination is voluntary, and more than 90,000 centres, mostly state-run, are offering jabs across the country.

These include vaccination camps offering walk-in jabs without prior online registration. The beneficiary needs to furnish identity proof - a biometric card, voter ID or driving licence, among 10 documents - to register.

The data gathered from the sites is uploaded to India's vaccine portal, CoWin.

Early investigations had found that Mandal had managed to take "two jabs in a half hour gap" on the same day and each of these jabs "were registered on the portal".

"We are flummoxed how this could happen. There seems to be a portal failure happening. We are also trying to find out whether there was any negligence by people manning the vaccination centres," Shahi said.

Public health expert Chandrakant Lahariya told the BBC that the "only way" this can happen is if the vaccination data from the sites is uploaded on the portal after a long lag.

"But I still wonder it was not detected after so many jabs over so long a time."

Mandal, who kept detailed handwritten notes of the dates, timings and camps, claims he received 11 doses between February and December last year.

He told the BBC that he travelled to vaccination camps across Madhepura and even to at least two neighbouring districts - one more than 100km (62 miles) away - to get the jabs. He used different identity cards to register at these sites.

Mandal said he had been a "practising quack" in his village before taking up a postman's job and "knew a thing about diseases".

"After taking the jabs my body aches and pain disappeared. I used to have knee pain and walked with a stick. Now I don't. I feel fine."

Fever, headache, fatigue and pain - mostly mild to moderate - are the most commonly reported side effects after getting a Covid-19 vaccine. Severe allergic reactions are rarer.

"You will usually get these reactions after the first and the second dose. Multiple doses of these vaccines should be fairly harmless, as antibodies have already been formed and the vaccines are made up of harmless components," Lahariya said.

Some 65% of India's adult population is fully vaccinated and around 91% have got at least one dose.

The numbers in Bihar are lower: 36% of the adult population is fully vaccinated and 49% have received at least one dose.

 

BBC

May 08, 2025

‘Don’t worry’ about your salary early in your career, says Warren Buffett: Focus on this…

I worked at a financial magazine for much of my 20s, and for the most…
May 08, 2025

Pat Utomi forms ‘shadow government’. These are the members and what they’ll do

Economist and political activist, Pat Utomi has assumed a formal opposition role with the formation…
May 09, 2025

Ultra-processed foods are driving premature deaths. Here are the 4 common culprits

Ultra-processed foods are getting a lot of attention. Research links them to cancer, heart disease,…
May 03, 2025

Man accidentally buys his own car after it was stolen a few weeks earlier

An English man unknowingly bought back his own Honda Civic just weeks after it was…
May 07, 2025

Gunmen invade Plateau communities, kill six, injure several

No fewer than six persons were killed in renewed attacks in Marit and Gashish communities…
May 09, 2025

Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 581

Israel says it intercepted missile fired from Yemen; Houthis claim responsibility Israel's military said on…
May 07, 2025

The first driverless ‘trailers’ have started running regular longhaul routes

Driverless trucks are officially running their first regular long-haul routes, making roundtrips between Dallas and…
January 08, 2025

NFF appoints new Super Eagles head coach

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Éric Sékou Chelle as the new Head Coach…

NEWSSCROLL TEAM: 'Sina Kawonise: Publisher/Editor-in-Chief; Afolabi Ajibola: IT Manager;
Contact Us: [email protected] Tel/WhatsApp: +234 811 395 4049

Copyright © 2015 - 2025 NewsScroll. All rights reserved.