As if the coronavirus crisis hasn’t been devastating enough…
Authorities in India are investigating a vaccine scam after thousands of people were apparently injected with salt water instead of the true coronavirus vaccine, according to multiple outlets. 14 people have already been arrested, including several health care professionals.
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Vishal Thakur, a senior official of the local police department, revealed that at least 12 fake vaccination drives were held in the surrounding area of Mumbai, the nation’s largest city. According to CNN, Thakur stated:
“They were using saline water and injecting it. Every fake vaccination camp that they held, they were doing this. … We have arrested doctors. They were using a hospital which was producing the fake certificates, vials, syringes.”
Per the New York Times, he also shared:
“Those arrested are charged under criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery.”
What kind of person sees a pandemic as an opportunity for personal gain? Ugh.
Doctor Shivraj Pataria and his wife Neeta Pataria were among those arrested, and their hospital, Shivam Hospital, was sealed as a result of the investigation. CBS News wrote that the hospital was authorized to distribute vaccines, but not to hold the vaccination drives. The hospital may be responsible for providing real used vaccine vials which were refilled with the saline solution.
Thakur reported an estimated 2,500 people were given fake shots between late May and early June. The investigation was prompted by recipients who “grew suspicious when they didn’t see their vaccination certificates appear on the government’s online portal, CoWin,” per CBS News. According to CNN, one resident also noted as evidence that no one was experiencing vaccine side effects, and they were made to pay for their vaccines in cash. The scam apparently accrued up to $28,000.
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The scheme is made all the more awful by the fact that India was hit particularly hard by the second wave of the virus; at its peak, the country “was reporting more than 400,000 new cases and over 4,000 deaths per day,” CBS News relayed. And official numbers may have even been underreported, another CNN investigation suggested.
In a filing, the Bombay High Court stated it was “really shocking that incidents of fake vaccination are on the rise,” and urged the government to take action “so that innocent individuals are not duped in future.”
Some of these issues would be solved if vaccine patents were lifted and vaccine technology made universally available — something that would surely improve conditions medically AND economically worldwide. Until that time, though, it’s completely deplorable to take advantage of people’s desperation over this virus. We hope everyone involved is brought to justice.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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