The health ministry has said that beneficiaries can self-register online through an existing account on Co-WIN. (File photo)
India will start administering Covid-19 vaccines to children in the age group of 15-18 years from January 3 next year.
On Monday, the Centre issued guidelines for this vaccination drive. The SOP outlines the type of vaccine that can be used as well as the methods of booking slots to get jabbed.
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Which vaccine will be administered to children in the age group of 15-18?
The health ministry guidelines state that only Covaxin will be administered to children in the age group of 15-18 years.
Are all children eligible for the drive?
The health ministry has said that all those who are 15 years or more will be able to register on Co-WIN. In other words, anyone born in 2007 or later will be eligible.
How can children register for vaccination?
The health ministry has said that beneficiaries can self-register online through an existing account on Co-WIN.
They can also register by creating a new account through a unique mobile number. This option at present is available only for citizens who are eligible for vaccination.
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Therefore, children can book their vaccination slots using their parents’ existing Co-WIN accounts from January 1.
What are the other options for booking vaccination slots for children?
Guidelines state that beneficiaries can also be registered onsite by the verifier/vaccinator in facilitated registration mode. Further, appointments can be booked online or onsite (that is children can walk in to get jabbed).
Is vaccination free for children?
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All beneficiaries irrespective of their income status are entitled to get jabbed for free at government vaccination centres. However, those who visit private hospitals or vaccination centres have to pay the requisite fees.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
