KOLKATA: Hundreds of people who were “inoculated” at multiple fake vaccination camps organised by arrested fraudster Debanjan Deb might have been administered Amikacin Sulphate, an antibiotic.
The vials seized from Deb’s Kasba office were not Covishield, the KMC confirmed on Thursday..
“We had reasons to believe that the vaccines administered at the fake Kasba camp were spurious.
After examining a vial, our doctors have confirmed that the recipients of the camp were administered fake vaccines,” Atin Ghosh, member, KMC BoA in-charge of health, said on Thursday.
The vials seized by cops from the Kasba camp had Çovishield labels without the mandatory batch number, manufacturing or expiry date.
“The vials were smaller in size and had only four doses.
An original Covishield vial contains 10 doses.
The Covishield label was also fake,” a KMC health department official said.
It was also found that the Covishield label was stuck over another label, that of Amikacin Sulphate 500 mg, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections of the urinary tract, bones, and joints, lungs, brain, blood, among others.
Common side effects include injection site reactions and increased blood urea.
But whether the contents of the vial were actually Amikacin Sulphate is yet to be ascertained.
The seized vials have been sent to the State Food and Drug Testing laboratory for chemical analysis, Swasthya Bhavan officials said.
The Kolkata Police detective department, which is interrogating Deb, said on Thursday that the accused had claimed that he had administered Amikacin, which he procured at Rs 13 per dose.
“We raided Deb’s offices and home and recovered vials of Amikacin injection from his office.
We took Deb along with us to lead us to the evidence.
We have also recovered fake labels of Covishield from his house.
We have seized his computer and sent it for forensic tests.
We have found that he had designed the fake labels on his computer,” said joint CP (crime) Murlidhar Sharma.
Cops said the accused used to replace the Amikacin labels with Covishield labels both at his residence and his office at Kasba.
While administering a jab, his employees ensured they kept the injections ready before allowing a recipient inside.
This is the reason why he would not allow anyone inside the vaccine room with a phone and did not allow anyone to take a selfie after getting jabbed,” said an officer.
In fact, this had led to an argument between him and some students of City College during a camp Deb organised there.
At one of the camps, Dispovan syringes – which are used for regular injections and for drawing blood – were used.
Vaccine syringes are thinner and smaller.
“We need to ascertain if his employees were aware and willing partners as Deb paid them anything between Rs 25,000-35,000 per month,” the cops said.
Health department officials on Thursday said the process of procuring Covid-19 vaccines were entirely transparent.
“All vaccine vials go to the vaccine depot at the Central Family Welfare store in Bagbazar.
The health department then decides where the vaccines will be sent.
The entire process is a systematic one and every step is recorded.
Each vial bears a batch number, manufacturing date and an expiry date, which were not there on these vials,” a health official said.
“We have a stringent template through which organisations have to apply for off-site camps.
Each has to apply through the CoWin portal.
So, we can trace every vial,” said a State Urban Development Authority official.