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Elderly man caught before getting his 12th Covid shot in India
Brahmadeo Mandal says he got jabbed 11 times using different identity cards and phone numbers
An Indian man who claimed to have received a Covid-19 vaccine at least 11 times was caught from a primary healthcare centre before he could get a twelfth dose.
Brahmadeo Mandal, an 84-year-old resident of the eastern Bihar state, managed to receive the doses by using different identity cards and cellphone numbers of his relatives, according to a report in The New Indian Express newspaper.
“The government has made a wonderful thing,” Mr Mandal said, explaining his wish to get over-vaccinated.
India’s federal government mandates two shots for citizens, with booster shots being allowed for healthcare and frontline workers and those above the age of 60 who have co-morbidities from 10 January.
The octogenarian, who is a now retired employee of the postal department, said he received his first vaccine shot on 13 February last year.
Mr Mandal took a jab each in March, May, June, July and August after that.
He then proceeded to get three shots in September alone using three different identity cards belonging to him. These included his voter ID card and Aadhaar card, an identification card that assigns a unique 12-digit identification number to each citizen.
Mr Mandal claimed that by the end of 2021, he had received 11 vaccine shots. He added that he felt better after each jab, according to The New Indian Express.
District officials in the area have ordered an investigation into the matter.
The probe will find out how Mr Mandal managed to get so many jabs, said Amrendra Pratap Shahi, a district civil surgeon.
The senior citizen claimed to have submitted his Aadhaar card and mobile phone number at least eight times. He also said he used his voter ID card and wife’s mobile number thrice.
The incident comes at a time when India is racing to fully vaccinate its entire population. A wide gap remains between those citizens who have received their first dose and those yet to have received a second jab.
