Good news for kids aged 15 and above!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Saturday that India will begin giving the first coronavirus vaccination doses to youngsters aged 15 and above in January of next year.
Not just this, he also addressed about the booster doses to health care and frontline workers and persons over the age of 60 with specified health conditions.
“Coronavirus is not gone… The world is now talking about Omicron. Today is (former Prime Minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday and Christmas, so we decided to announce this today,” PM Modi said.
“The government has decided that precaution doses of the Covid vaccine will be started for healthcare and frontline workers from January 10, 2022,”
Prime Minister said in his address to the nation on Christmas Day, not calling them booster shots.
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In a televised address late in the evening, the Prime Minister outlined the preparations the government has made to tackle any surges before he announced the three decisions.
“For children who are between the ages of 15 years and 18 years, vaccinations will now start in the country. In 2022, it will be launched on January 3,”
“We all have an experience that those who are Corona warriors, health care and frontline workers, they have a huge contribution in keeping the country safe in this fight… Therefore, from the point of view of precaution, the government has decided that a ‘precaution dose’ of vaccine will also be started for health care and frontline workers,”
The PM said.
Vaccine Doses For People Above The Age Of 60!
On the advice of the doctors, citizens over 60 years old and with comorbidities will be able to receive a “precaution dosage” of the vaccination according to the PM.
Boosters according to the Prime Minister are “precaution doses.”
Boosters for health-care and front-line employees will begin on January 3.
People aged 60 and up with certain health problems that put them at risk of severe Covid-19 disease will begin on January 10, according to the PM.
DCGI Approves Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin For Children Aged 12 And Above !
Drugs Controller General of India approved the use of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in children aged 12 and up on Saturday.
A second vaccine, ZyCoV-D, developed by Gujarat-based Zydus Cadila, has also been licenced by the medicines authority for use in people aged 12 and up.
The date to start the campaign for ZyCoV-D has not been finalised yet.
“Protection of persons at high risk of severe disease or high viral exposure is a high priority. The decision is timely. Including of the 15-18 year age is also appropriate if supplies and vaccination teams are available to meet the needs of the expanded vaccination programme,”
Dr K Srinath Reddy, senior public health expert and founder, Public Health Foundation of India.
“It is bound to have some benefit, how much I don’t know since I don’t know what the data is on severe disease in the groups now targeted.”
Gagandeep Kang, a senior vaccine expert and senior faculty, Christian Medical College, Vellore.
Paediatricians also said the decision was timely. “A timely decision to open vaccines for children above 15. High school students have board exams and entrance exams to take so they rightfully are the first group of children to get vaccinated,”
Dr Anupam Sibal, senior paediatrician and group medical director, Apollo Hospitals.
Vaccine Stock Availability
The health ministry reported on Saturday that 17,74,97,506 doses of coronavirus vaccinations were accessible with states.
“This decision, apart from strengthening India’s fight against Corona, will also help reduce the concern of school and college goers and their parents,” “India needs to be vigilant about the spread of the coronavirus,”
Modi said, adding that people should not pay attention to rumours nor panic about rising infection numbers.
“In our country, a nasal vaccine and the world’s first DNA vaccine will also start soon,” Modi said, adding that “since the beginning, India’s fight against Corona has been based on scientific principles, scientific opinions and scientific patterns.”
“Today, the nation has 18 lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh oxygen supported beds, 1.4 lakh ICU beds and 90,000 special beds for kids. Today, we have over 3,000 functional PSA Oxygen plants and 4 lakh cylinders have been provided to all states,”
PM Modi added.
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