New Delhi: Covid vaccination for children between 12-14 years will begin on March 16 and the comorbidity clause for administrating precautionary doses to senior citizens will also be removed, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted on Monday.
Biological E's Corbevax will be administered to the 12-14 years age group, according to a PTI report.
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has recommended immunizing children between the ages of 12-14 years.
"The vaccination of children in the age group of 12 -14 years is most likely to begin from Tuesday. Also, the co-morbidity clause for administering precaution doses to those aged 60 years and above would be removed," an official source said according to PTI.
The vaccination drive across the country began on January 16, 2021. Healthcare workers were the first to get inoculated. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started on February 2 last year.
The second phase began on March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions. Those aged more than 45 years were vaccinated from April 1, 2021. The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1 last year.
This year from January 3, the Centre decided to vaccinate teenagers between 15-18 years. In light of the Omicron variant, India began administering precautionary doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to healthcare workers, frontline workers, including personnel deployed for election duty and those aged 60 and above with co-morbidities, from January 10.