Omicron scare: Booster shots, jabs to under-18s given on the sly in Bengaluru

People ineligible for vaccination are getting doses on the sly as concern over Omicron deepens

People are seeking ways to get a booster dose and even teens under the age of 18, ineligible for vaccination, are getting doses on the sly as concern over Omicron deepens among the public.

For Harsha, 64, concern over developing new variants of the novel coronavirus, including Omicron, prompted him to seek out a third dose at a private hospital in Rajajinagar. He explained that he had been vaccinated twice before with Covishield, in March and in April. “I did not have confidence in my current levels of protection as I move around a lot and there are reports that Covishield protection levels drop over a period of a few months,” he said.

Also Read | Young people recover quickly from rare side effect of Covid vaccine: Study

The ‘booster’ given to him was a dose of Covaxin to produce more antibodies stemming from “mixing” vaccines. After administering him the dose on November 29, the hospital even provided Harsha with a certificate on the letterhead of the Department of Health and Family Welfare declaring the third dose.

Similar feelings of concern among parents and teenagers about Omicron is said to be prompting scores of older-age students to also seek out doses. Reena G R, a parent, told DH that her 17-year-old son had asked her to get him a vaccine. “Though he knew he was ineligible, he was pestering me to get him vaccinated -- because a few of his friends who are also ineligible had already been jabbed,” she said.

As explained by Prajwal (name changed) a Class 12 student from south Bengaluru, several of his friends were vaccinated at a nearby primary health centre (PHC).

“They initially tried to register on the Co-Win app but failed because of the dates of birth mentioned on the Aadhaar card. Later, they paid a staffer at the PHC and got doses. Because the doses were in the black, they did not get a vaccination certificate but they are not concerned about that -- they just want to be safe as we are attending offline classes and our examinations are going on,” Prajwal added.

Also Read | Karnataka sees 299 new Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths

He said many of his friends were not even aware of what type of vaccine they got.

Officials expressed anger over these “illegal” doses. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike said strict orders had already been issued to government health centres not to administer doses outside official channels.

“In private hospitals, it is possible that unauthorised doses are being given from privately acquired stocks,” a BBMP officer said.

While Harsha acknowledged that the dose was unofficial, he added: “I am pleased to have acquired at least six additional months of protection.”

The Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) concurred that it had also received a few reports of unauthorised doses being given, adding that private hospitals have surplus doses. “Most of the people trying to get such doses are those who want to travel overseas,” said Dr H M Prasanna, president of the association.

“The fact is that these doses are not authorised and it is wrong to be taking them,” added Health Commissioner D Randeep.

He also said that it is not medically advisable to take such doses: “Any resulting adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) not only makes the vaccine taker and giver solely liable, it also complicates data collection when booster doses and child vaccinations actually come into being.”

Randeep stressed that dosage for children, the booster and the timing have not yet been determined by experts. Dr Raghunandan, a paediatrician at KC General Hospital pointed out that the “vaccine which is in the market now is trialled for adults, and children should wait for their turn. Vaccines are not something you buy and consume from an eatery.”

Check out the latest videos from DH: