"First Dose - Covaxin, Second - Covishield": Gurgaon Man Alleges Mix-Up

A 20-year-old man in Haryana has said that he was administered a different COVID-19 vaccine despite showing his vaccination certificate - which had details on the Covid vaccine he received as the first dose - at a vaccination centre in Gurgaon. The officials at the vaccination centre, however, claim that he did not produce a vaccination certificate and that he told them about the vaccine only after he was inoculated with a different vaccine. Mr Singh was administered Covaxin on June 8, according to his vaccination certificate.

"First Dose- Covaxin, Second Dose Covishield despite showing the certificate to them. Pls advise urgently on what to do. Happened at Rosewood City, Sector 49 Gurgaon vaccination centre (sic)," Harteerath Singh, who works as Community Development Director at an NGO, tweeted about the incident on Wednesday.

Later, he gave a point-by-point rebuttal to the comments by the Chief Medical Officer at the vaccination centre, who claimed that the beneficiary did not produce the vaccination certificate.

"I am educated enough to know the difference between two kinds of vaccine and won't suddenly "realise", Mr Singh tweeted, adding that even the doctor at the vaccination centre admitted to the "human error".

"I did show my vaccine certificate from my phone, the staff present saw the OTP on the phone itself . When I was inoculated with Covishield the nurse congratulated me on my second dose of Covishield. As soon as I was told I was given Covishield there was a moment of panic. The doctor then checked with the nurse and put me under observation for nearly 2 hours and checked my vitals," he said.

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Singh said that he "can't feel my joints" and has started having headache and body pain since morning.

"A family doctor I spoke to told me to wait for another day to check for further side effects," he said.

Asked about the mix-up, Gurgaon Chief Medical Officer, Virendra Yadav, told NDTV that he will enquire about the matter.

The doctor posted at the vaccination centre, however, maintained that Mr Singh was administered Covishield vaccine only after he told them that he was administered the same during his first dose. 

Speaking to NDTV, Dr MP Singh, the deputy civil surgeon and district immunization officer, said:  "Rosewood City camp sites was administering both the vaccines, and the name of the vaccines was also on display across our centre. When he came to our centre, we asked him to show his vaccine certificate, but he said he doesn't have it and said will show it later. Our staff insisted to see a vaccine certificate, but he insisted on getting vaccinated. The staff even asked him which vaccine was he given, he said I was administered this vaccine only (Covishield). After our staff vaccinated him, he realised he was given Covishield instead of Covaxin. After getting vaccinated he then told us he was administered Covaxin in his first dose, the doctor present immediately put him under observation for nearly 1 and half hour and he was absolutely ok. His vitals were ok, his bp was ok and pulse rate too was okay. The doctor was continuously monitoring him".

Significant adverse effects are "unlikely" if an individual's second Covid vaccine dose is different from the first, the centre said earlier this year.

"This should be looked into. We will have to wait for more scientific understanding... but even if two doses of two different vaccines are given, this should not be a cause of concern," Dr VK Paul, the Chair of NEGVAC (National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19), said in May in response to controversy over a group of Uttar Pradesh villagers being given mixed doses at a government hospital in Siddharthnagar district.