Parents, put your child before irrational fears

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It is post exam time now, and the BMC hopes the tempo of vaccination will pick up after a slow start. The BMC has inoculated around 1 lakh children aged between 12 and 14 years. Civic officials stressed that parents play an important role in boosting numbers. They have started bringing their children for vaccination now that exams are over.

The drive for this age group kicked off on March 16. Since then, the BMC has jabbed 99,554 beneficiaries with at least one dose, while 19,821 have taken both shots. Children from this age group are administered Corbevax with a 28-day gap between two doses.

An executive health officer of the civic body has said there has been a slight uptick in vaccination numbers for the age group, maybe because exams are over. She also appealed to parents to bring their kids to get them vaccinated. Another official from the health department, though, had a different perspective, stating that parents will take their children to holiday destinations now that exams are over. The real pick up for the vaccines will happen only in June.

Whatever be the pattern, there is one thing certain that parents need to get their priorities right. Since exams were on, maybe it was difficult to see that children reach the vaccine centres, though that too could have been managed. Now, as exams are over, put other issues on the backburner for a while and make getting your child vaccinated absolutely non-negotiable.

Do see that your child takes the vaccine if eligible before leaving for vacation as that is most important. Do not push it back for later, or after. While there is no need to panic, even in Mumbai we are seeing the COVID case graph on a very slight incline. Like a stitch in time saves nine, every parent must think about their child: a shot in time, saves mine.