The health ministry said that Biological E’s Corbevax will be administered to the new age group
A health worker inoculates a youth with a COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai. AFP
India will start vaccinating children in the age group of 12-14 years against COVID-19 from 16 March, Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday. Mandaviya also confirmed people aged 60+ will now be able to get precaution doses.
In his tweet in Hindi, Mandaviya said that if the children are safe then the country is safe! He added that he was happy to inform that from 16 March, COVID vaccination of children in the age group of 12 to 13 and 13 to 14 is starting. “Also, everyone aged 60+ will now be able to get precaution doses. I urge the families of children and people in the age group of 60+ that they must get the vaccine,” the health minister tweeted.
Mandaviya’s tweet:
Which vaccine will be administered?
As per PTI, Biological E’s Corbevax will be administered to 12-15 years age-group.
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) is learnt to have given its recommendation to begin vaccination of children in the 12-15 years age group.
“The vaccination of children in the age group of 12 -15 years is most likely to begin from Tuesday. Also, the co-morbidity clause for administering precaution doses to those aged 60 years and above would be removed,” an official source said.
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16 January last year with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started on 2 February last year.
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 1 March for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions. The country launched vaccination for all aged more than 45 years from 1 April 2021. The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from 1 May last year.
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from January 3, 2022 for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years. India began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers, frontline workers, including personnel deployed for election duty and those aged 60 and above with co-morbidities, from 10 January this year amid a spike in coronavirus infections fuelled by Omicron variant of the virus in the country, PTI said.
Over 17.38 crore vaccine doses still available with States, UTs
The Union Health Ministry on Monday informed that more than 17.38 crore balance and unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with States and Union Territories to be administered, ANI said in a report.
“More than 182.79 crore (1,82,79,40,230) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category. More than 17.38 crore (17,38,21,446) balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered,” informed an official statement by the ministry.
The vaccination drive has been ramped up through the availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID-19 vaccines free of cost.
In the new phase of the universalisation of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs, ANI said.
With inputs from agencies
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