With the incidence of COVID-19 infections rising by the day, several people are planning to get the third dose or precaution dose for protection from the virus.
All the fully vaccinated adult citizens, healthcare workers, frontline works and senior citizens are eligible to receive the precaution dose.
While the adult citizens can take the vaccine only at private vaccination centres, others, including senior citizens, can take the third dose at government vaccination centres such as primary health centres and government hospitals.
However, several senior citizens and adult citizens who have not visited any vaccine centre after the second dose, were taken aback on receipt of messages that they had ‘received’ the dose as per CoWIN.
People received SMSes on their phone numbers used for the earlier doses that they have been successfully administered with the third dose and certificates were also generated. Some of the beneficiaries were realising this only upon visiting the vaccination centres.
“I have received an SMS informing that I am eligible and may avail myself of the precaution dose, and three days later I received another SMS that I have been successfully vaccinated with precaution dose and the certificate may be downloaded from the CoWIN website. I haven’t been to any vaccine centre after taking the second dose. I wonder what happened to the dose (third) which I am supposed to get,” said M.V. Anjaneyulu, a senior citizen and secretary of Tax Payers’ Association.
Several other senior citizens and persons in the age group of 18 to 60 also received such SMSes about the successful administration of the third dose.
To receive the third dose one has to carry the final certificate of vaccination (both doses) and use the same mobile number and ID card used for earlier doses.
"We have come across such a situation in one of the PHCs in the city. We asked the PHC to call the persons who were registered and provide them with the third dose," said P.J. Amrutha, Health Dept. official in-charge of the vaccination drive in NTR district.
“It seems that the staff at PHCs and Secretariats are using the list of the eligible beneficiaries (people who completed 90 days to 9 months after second dose) and registering them for the third dose without the consent of the beneficiary,” an official said.
While administering precaution doses to senior citizens, HCWs and FLWs began in January, the same for all adults began in April.
Rise in vaccination
The number of doses administered per week in the State witnessed a consistent rise from mid-April to the end of May.
In the week ending June 17, 2.71 lakh precaution doses were administered, while in the current week since June 25, 38,456 doses were administered.
