Staff at a health sub-center in India's Yavatmal district allegedly mistakenly administers sanitizer instead of polio vaccine to 12 children. Photo: IC

Staff at a health sub-center in India's Yavatmal district are reported to have mistakenly administered sanitizer instead of polio vaccine to 12 children on Sunday, prompting heated discussions among Chinese netizens, who expressed criticism and also mocked their lack of professionalism. 

The children are now under observation in hospital, and are "absolutely fine," said an Indian official in a Tuesday report from The India Express.

The staffers responsible for the mistake were suspended and an inquiry into whether they received proper training in administering the polio dose was underway, according to the express. 

Chinese netizens have reacted in various ways to the report. Some blasted the  lack of professionalism of the workers responsible and showed great concern for the children affected, while others thought of the theory that former US president Donald Trump proposed in April 2020, suggesting that injecting disinfectant could be a treatment for COVID-19. 

"I believe those staffers are firm supporters of Trump," was one top comment on Sina Weibo. 

"The news is apparently bad for everyone, except for Trump," mocked another Weibo user.