VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government has ordered its health machinery to prepare a location-wise list of nearly 35 lakh mothers with children below five years of age for administering Covid vaccines to such moms. This is part of the government’s strategy to deal with the expected third wave of Coronavirus pandemic, which is projected to mainly target children.
A senior state health official disclosed, “We are making all necessary arrangements for giving Covid-19 jab to mothers with kids aged less than five years following a directive from the state government. This will ensure that mothers do not to get infected with the virus in case their kids contract Coronavirus in the impending third wave and are hospitalised. Mothers will obviously at the bedside of their virus-affected kids to take care of them,” the official pointed out.
Authorities say they already have a list of children aged from zero to five years PHC-wise, along with details of their mothers, for taking up the routine immunisation programmes. They will utilise this list to identify the eligible mothers for Covid-19 vaccination.
Once Coronavirus doses are available and state government gives its nod, they will issue advance tokens to all eligible mothers one day before the vaccination programme.
Services of ANMs and ASHA workers will be utilised to ensure that beneficiary mothers reach their allotted Covid vaccination centres as per the time and date allotted to them. The vaccination will be in strict compliance with Covid-19 protocols.
