No jab taken, but man gets a vax certificate

Noida: A resident of Sector 134 spent most of Monday calling up helpline numbers listed on the Union health ministry portal and Co-WIN after he got a message on his phone that said his vaccination certificate was ready, although he did not get the jab. On Monday around 10.30 am, Vipin Jain (43) drove to Father Agnel School, Sector 62, to get the vaccine.A senior employee of the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), Jain wanted to take Covaxin and he was relieved to finally get a slot after repeated attempts.
Jain said he stays in Jaypee Greens Kosmos and the government centre was about 17 km away. He reached on time and after verifying his details, the officials gave him a slip and asked him to proceed for the vaccine shot. “When my turn came, the paramedic administering the injection asked me about my health. I told her I had Covid in April and on April 20, I tested negative,” Jain said.
The paramedic told him he cannot be vaccinated now and he will have to wait till at least July 20 to get the dose, as per the latest guidelines framed by the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
While he was having this conversation, Jain got a text message on his phone that said he has been “successfully vaccinated” with the first dose. It also had a link to download his certificate. “I clicked on it and my certificate said I got the dose,” he said.
Officials at the vaccination site said there was no way to update the status on Co-WIN from their end and he should call up the helpline. After several attempts, Jain got through and spoke to the technical support team handling Co-WIN at 0120 – 4473222. “But I was told there is no way to reverse the status now,” Jain said.
When he sought help with the process of registering again, he was told next time he should book a slot on Co-WIN using a different mobile number and a different photo ID proof. “That was the only solution they offered,” he said.
The health department officials in Gautam Budh Nagar said once the details of a person are verified and updated on the portal at the session site, confirmation text message and certificate are generated in a few minutes.
“Once a person takes the slip, it is assumed that he/she is getting the dose. This is a rare case,” said district immunisation officer Neeraj Tyagi. He added that the matter will be taken up with senior officials. Told about the incident, retired chief medical officer, UP, Ashok Mishra, said a handwritten note with a stamp of the booth in-charge should be issued to such people. “If the status is not changed then the person would be treated as someone who is seeking his first shot more than once,” said Mishra, who stays in Noida.