Children aged between 15 to 18 who are eligible for vaccination from January 3 next year will only be administered doses of the Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine, sources in the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
According to the Union Health Ministry, dedicated centres can be established for the same. The sources further said that the ministry has advised States and Union Territories to train vaccinators for the exercise.
On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 15-18 years will start from January 3.
Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use for those between 12-18 years, sources said.
Prime Minister had said that the move to provide vaccination to children in the 15-18 age group is likely to aid in education normalization in schools and will reduce the worry of the parents with school-going children.
“The decision regarding precaution dose for frontline and health workers has been done in light of the amount of time that they spend in the service of COVID-19 patients,” the PM said.
“The decision of precaution dose will strengthen the confidence of healthcare and frontline workers,” he said.
Referring to the Omicron infections in India, the Prime Minister urged people not to panic and to follow precautions such as masks and washing hands repeatedly. He assured that nasal vaccine and the world’s first DNA vaccine will be available for vaccination soon in the country.