Kerala HC directs inquiry on incorrect date in vaccination certificate
(Sourced from PTI)
Incorrect date and venue of second vaccine dose in a COVID-19 vaccination certificate prompted the Kerala High Court on Thursday to order an inquiry to ascertain whether it was a genuine mistake or some mischief. Justice PV Kunhikrishnan said if the incorrect details in the certificate were due to mischief, then stringent action needs to be taken against the officials involved.
The court directed the District Medical Officer of Ernakulam to carry out the inquiry as the venue of the second jab of the COVID-19 vaccine was a vaccination center there according to the certificate. The court listed the matter after a week.
It said, "If it is a mistake, then it is understandable and a new certificate can be issued with corrections. However, if it was otherwise, if there is some mischief, then stringent action should be taken against concerned officials." The court was hearing a plea by one KP John, moved through advocates C Dileep and Anushka Vijayakumar, alleging falsification of details in vaccination certificate.
Vijayakumar told the court that her client received the first dose in March and the second in April, both from a vaccination center in Aluva, and had never gone to Ernakulam for a jab. However, when the vaccination certificate was made available in July, it showed that the second dose was administered in July and that too at a vaccination center in Ernakulam.
The petitioner has also claimed that a letter was sent to the DMO of Ernakulam and a legal notice was sent to the Ernakulum hospital where the vaccination center was located for making corrections in the certificate, but nothing was done to date and therefore, the petition was filed. The petitioner has also sought the issuance of a corrected vaccination certificate.
Notably, according to The News Minute, Kerala has successfully inoculated 90% of its eligible population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, whereas 37.6% population with the second dose of vaccine. As per the data issued by the state health department, as of Tuesday, at least 2,40,79,169 people received the first dose whereas 1,00,63,294 received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As per the statistics of the state health department, Wayanad, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram districts have administered the maximum number of COVID-19 vaccine doses. Notably, the number of women who are vaccinated outnumbers men in Kerala.
