Vaccination is the only way to be safe from coronavirus infection. This is why India, which is amid the third wave of COVID-19 infection led by Omicron – which has been declared as the variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), has started inoculation drive of children in the age group of 15 to 18 years. Now, the government is going to start the administration of the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Monday. The drive to inoculate the adolescents in this age group had begun on January 3.
Delhi has around 10.14 lakh beneficiaries in the age group. Till Saturday, 8,04,690 beneficiaries in the national capital have been administered the first dose.
It must be noted that Covaxin, indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech, is the only vaccine option for the 15 to 18 year age group. The Union Health Ministry has clearly stated this in the guidelines issued on December 27.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said 85 per cent of Delhi government school students have been vaccinated against COVID-19. He, however, remarked that the inoculation drive in private schools was going on at a snail’s pace.
National Health Mission director Priyanka Das also said that letters were written to all the district collectors in Madhya Pradesh to start administering the second dose of COVID1-9 to eligible children.
Das said 36.42 lakh eligible children from this age group had received the first dose of vaccines against the target of 48 lakh. She said that sessions for the second jab for the eligible teens will be organised in the schools, where the first dose was administered.
