Vaccination programme: Kumudesh alleges govt ignored safety precautions

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Several frontline health workers who had received the Indian COVID-19 vaccine had developed mild reactions although the Health Ministry wasn’t interested in collecting and analysing data, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh said yesterday.

Answering questions raised by The Island, Kumudesh said there had been mild reactions to the vaccine such as headaches and nausea.

Kumudesh said that he couldn’t provide specific percentage of cases although his union had received information pertaining to several incidents. The trade unionist urged the Health Ministry to undertake a proper survey. Unfortunately, nothing had been done so far, Kumudesh said.

Kumudesh said that the Health Ministry did not even have a plan to test how antibodies were developing in those who took the jab.

“Most vaccines stimulate the body to make antibodies. If you get a COVID-19 vaccine, your body will develop antibodies against the virus. But we need to test people. All the other countries do so. We seem to be bent on doing things blindly.”

Kumudesh said that initially the government had said that the vaccines would be tested at the Medical Research Institute (MRI). Subsequently, it had been revealed that  MRI officials only checked the documents sent by the donor or manufacturer, he said, adding that the MRI lacked required facilities to test vaccines.