Covid: Registration for kids 15-18 begins for their first shot from tomorrow; 10-crore target population

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya appealed to parents to register their eligible children. “If the children are safe, then the future of the country is safe,” he tweeted.

This began a week after the Prime Minister’s announcement that Covid-19 vaccination will start January 3 for children.

According to official estimates, there are an estimated 10 crore children in the 15-18 age group eligible for the vaccination. The Union Health Ministry has announced that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin will be the one that will be administered to eligible children — in two doses 28 days apart.

The move comes amid caution over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

On Saturday, India reported 22,775 new cases in the last 24 hours. The country’s active caseload stood at 1,04,781. According to the Health Ministry, out of 1431 Omicron cases, 488 cases have been either discharged or recovered or migrated. According to Cowin,  India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 145.46 crore until late Saturday.

Besides vaccines for children, the Prime Minister had also announced, in his December 25 address to the nation, that healthcare and frontline workers will get a booster — he called it “precaution dose” — from January 10. The “precaution dose” will also be available from January 10 for citizens above the age of 60.

He said that parents were worried about children returning to schools and colleges. “This decision (to vaccinate) will help reduce their stress,” Modi said.