NEW DELHI, Jan 4 (NNN-PTI) – India yesterday started vaccinating children aged 15 to 18, against COVID-19, amid fears of a surge in infections of the Omicron variant.
India’s federal health minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, shared photographs of children getting vaccinated, to mark the beginning of the inoculation campaign, and urged India’s children to get vaccinated at the earliest date.
The Indian health ministry said, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine, which were recently approved for emergency use in children, will be administered to the targeted children.
Media reports said, over 1.2 million children in the eligible age group have registered at the government’s web portal for COVID-19 vaccination registration, CoWIN, so far.
The vaccination drive is being carried out in consultation with schools at hospitals and health centres. Reports said, a large number of schools and other educational institutions are also being used as vaccination centres as well.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, late last month announced, to start vaccination for the 15- to 18-year-olds from Jan 3, in the country.
Officials said, administering the third or booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to health workers, frontline workers and vulnerable senior citizens, will begin from Jan 10.
Clearance for the third dose administration from the government, for the selected groups came, amid a threat of increasing cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19.– NNN-PTI
