The elderly population, eligible for booster shots, would require a medical certificate to take the dose.?
In a surprise address on Christmas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would start giving the third ¡°precautionary dose¡± to healthcare and frontline workers and those above 60 with comorbidities from January 10. He also announced vaccination for children aged 15-18 from January 3.
Elderly people would require to show a medical certificate to prove their comorbidity.
The government will be allowing booster doses on the basis of specified 20 comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stem cell transplant, kidney disease or on dialysis, cirrhosis, cancer, sickle cell disease, and current prolonged use of steroids or immunosuppressant drugs.
Modi, while telling the public not to panic and not to give up the practice of wearing masks and washing hands, listed the three priority groups for the ¡°precautionary dose¡±, less than a year after the country rolled out its Covid-19 immunisation programme.
According to official estimates, there will be approximately 10 crore children in the 15-18 age group eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination.?
As of December 25, 12.04 crore people over the age of 60 had received their first dose of vaccine; and 9.21 crore were fully vaccinated.?
According to official data, 1.03 crore healthcare workers had received their first dose, and 96 lakh were fully vaccinated; 1.83 crore frontline workers had received their first dose, and 1.68 crore were fully vaccinated.
¡°Today is also the birth anniversary of Atalji (former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee). We are also celebrating Christmas. So I thought I should share this decision today. Covid-19 vaccination will be introduced for all children in the age group 15-18 years. From January 3, 2022, we will start this drive. This decision will further strengthen our fight against the pandemic. Parents have been worrying about children returning to schools and colleges. This decision will help reduce their stress,¡± Modi said.
The announcement came hours after the country¡¯s drug regulator granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) to Covaxin for vaccinating children in the 12-18 age group.?
For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.