VIJAYAWADA: Around 2,190 beneficiaries received the jab as part of the special vaccination drive for mothers of children aged below five years at 12 vaccination centres here on Wednesday.
Several of them said that they are taking the vaccine in the wake of reports that the possible Covid-19 third wave may impact the children hard.
One of the beneficiaries, Vasanthapu Sindhu (26), who has two kids aged below five years, said, “Fearing that the third wave would spread havoc after September, I took the jab so that I can take care of them.”
As the State government is giving vaccine only to those above 45 currently, “I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get the jab at the special drive,” she said.
However, steps should be taken to arrange special queue lines for mothers at the vaccination centres to avoid inconvenience, she felt. B Revathi (32), who has a three-year-old boy, received the first dose of the vaccine at GDET School, Patamata.
“For the last couple of weeks, I have been trying to enrol my details on the Cowin mobile application for booking a slot to get vaccinated. Due to shortage of vaccines, no dose was administered to those aged between 18 and 44. After coming to know about the special drive, I came running. Now that I have taken the jab, I can take care of my child well,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials announced that a similar vaccination drive will be conducted for mothers of children aged below five at the 12 permanent vaccination centres on Thursday.
Eligible beneficiaries should carry their Aadhaar card and birth certificate of their wards to get vaccinated.