Probe body formed over ‘triple vaccine jabs’ at BSMMU

Omar Faruq, an expatriate worker from Narayanganj, who claimed to have received three Covid-19 shots on Tuesday, has been kept under observation at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).

Besides, a three-member probe body was formed with a professor of the hospital’s medicine department as its head to investigate the matter, BSMMU Director Brigadier General Md Nazrul Islam said on Friday.

“We visited Faruq on Thursday morning. He was not showing any common side effects like fever or cold evident among vaccine recipients. There was no mark of receiving three jabs on his hand either," he said.

A psychologist has been inducted in the probe body to assess Faruq’s mental condition, Dr Nazrul told UNB.

Also Read - Man given two doses of Covid vaccine in 10 minutes, kept under observation

Faruq earlier told media that he had received three consecutive doses of a Covid vaccine from three different booths at BSMMU. His claims triggered debates across online platforms. Later, BSMMU held a press briefing and said that Faruque’s claim was "false".

Meanwhile, the news of Faruq being abducted from his house in Fatullah by some unidentified miscreants went viral on Wednesday. 

His sister Farzana Akter later said that her brother contacted them that evening to say that he was kept under observation at BSMMU.

Almost an identical incident happened with a 38-year-old man, who was mistakenly given two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine within 10 minutes at Khoksha Upazila Health Complex on Thursday.

Also Read - Bangladesh to start walk-in Covid vaccinations in unions from August 7

A resident of Bujruk Mirzapur village of the upazila, Basharuzzaman was kept under observation of the Health Division officials, reports our Khulna correspondent.

He did not develop any complications nine hours after taking the vaccine shots, Civil Surgeon Dr HM Anwarul Islam said.

Basharuzzaman received the first dose of the vaccine around 12:30pm.

“When he came back after 10 minutes, the health workers did not check his vaccination card and administered the vaccine again.

“He also did not inform the staff that he took a shot of the vaccine,” the civil surgeon said, adding that they had not formed any probe committee over the matter.

Our Khulna correspondent Hedait Hossain Molla contributed to this report