Experts have continuously been alerting that it is essential to get two doses of the same vaccine. There may be a choice between Covishield or Covaxin, but once a person gets a first dose of either, the second dose has to be of the same vaccine after the stipulated period. 

However, a dangerous “oversight” has resulted in the mixing up of the two vaccines in second doses of 20 people in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district. According to a report in Indian Express, the “mix-up of doses'' was reported from the Barhni block of the district. Officials told media-persons that 20 people were injected with Covaxin doses, “more than a month after they received the first dose of the Covishield vaccine”. The nearly 20 villagers of Siddharthnagar were given ‘Covishield’ as dose 1 in April, and ‘Covaxin’ as dose 2 in mid-May at a rural govt hospital, reported NDTV. 

While this is being reported as an “apparent oversight” by the officials themselves, experts have warned against such mix-ups since the vaccines first rolled out. However, the district’s Chief Medical Officer Sandeep Chaudhary while acknowledging the ‘oversight’ told the media that “everyone who got this ‘cocktail’ is healthy.”

About 20 villagers in UP’s Siddharthnagar were given ‘Covishield’ as dose 1 in April and ‘Covaxin’ as dose 2 in mid May at a rural govt hospital. This is the district’s Chief Medical Officer acknowledging the ‘oversight’ . He also says everyone who got this ‘cocktail’ is healthy pic.twitter.com/uY4rKNoyKX

— Alok Pandey (@alok_pandey) May 26, 2021

Chaudhary told the media that, “This is a mistake as the central government does not have any standing guideline on mixing the two vaccines. Both vaccines have to be administered in two does. An inquiry was ordered and a report has been submitted. I have sought clarification from those who have erred,” he added that a team was sent to check on the 20 people who were given the wrong vaccine and “they were found to be in good health and haven’t faced any issues as yet. We will keep a watch on them.”

The IE quoted Siddharthnagar District Magistrate Deepak Meena saying, “The matter came to light after complaints were received from some of the recipients that they were administered the wrong vaccine as the second dose on May 14.” According to the report the recipients themselves complained that they were given two different vaccines at the Primary Health Centre. They were all over 45 years old and had been administered the first dose more than a month ago. 

A nurse from the Primary Health Centre was suspended over the incident, and action has been initiated against a doctor, who was in charge of the facility, officials told the media. The DM said, “We have sought action against the doctor as well. A report in this regard has been sent to the government. Further action will be taken on a higher level. Statements of the 20 people were recorded. We also checked vials of the vaccines and found that there had been a mix-up.”

But the big questions still remain unanswered, even though the vaccine recipients appeared healthy:

- Does getting jabs of two different vaccines mean that the entire vaccination process was ineffective, and the people will have to be revaccinated?

- What kind of complications can getting two different vaccines cause, and were specific tests performed to ascertain these impacts?

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