12-14 age group vaccination drive to begin today

New Delhi, Mar 16: The Centre will begin the Covid vaccination for children in the age group of 12 -15 years from today, while the co-morbidity clause for administering precaution doses to senior citizens would be removed, officials said.

Covid-19 vaccination for all children between 12-14 age group and 'precaution dose' for all those above 60 years to begin from March 16, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya had said.

Biological E's Corbevax will be administered to 12-15 years age-group. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) is learnt to have given its recommendation to begin vaccination of children in the 12-15 years age group. "The vaccination of children in the age group of 12 -15 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. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase.

The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2 last year. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions. The country launched vaccination for all aged more than 45 years 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. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from January 3 for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years.

India began administering precaution dosez of 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 this year amid a spike in coronavirus infections fuelled by Omicron variant of the virus in the country.