Verum’s mouth stretched into a wide yawn as her eyes drooped. Within seconds, she was fast asleep. Her head was on her folded hands which were on her notebook. Of course, homework lay forgotten. But just as she was sinking into a delightful dream, Verum woke up with a jerk. Was it her crystal ball humming?
Yes! It sure enough was. Uh-oh, the news was quite scary. She announced to no one in particular, “In Madhya Pradesh, a central state in India, about 30 kids were administered Covid-19 vaccines in their private school. But only one syringe was used.
This incident took place in Sagar district where a man named Jitendra Rai was administering the vaccines.”
A syringe is a tube used to inject medicines or other liquids into the body. It can also be used to extract blood or other fluids.
Felix peeked in through the window and asked, “But isn’t that a good thing? Syringes are often made of plastic. This will reduce the amount of plastic waste generated.”
“My dear Felix, if only that were true! You’re right. Syringes are made of plastic. But it isn’t wise to use a syringe more than once,” explained Verum, “In fact, India’s health ministry has put forth a protocol (official procedure) that says ‘one needle, one syringe, only one time’. This means that a syringe and a needle cannot be reused while giving Covid-19 vaccinations.”
“But why so?” said Felix.
“Well, assume that a needle or a syringe is used to vaccinate one person. What if they have a health condition or a contagious disease? If the same needle or syringe is used for another person, this person can contract the disease,” explained, “And we don’t want that, do we?”
“What happened in this case? Was Rai punished?” said Felix.
“Rai claims he received just one syringe and was following orders. You see, in India, there is often a shortage of syringes. So, it isn’t rare for them to be reused despite the official mandate,” said Verum, “However, parents reported the matter to the school authorities. When state officials arrived at the school, Rai went missing. A case of negligence has been registered against him.”
“Oh, I see,” said Felix.