In a surprise address on Christmas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would start vaccinating children between the ages of 15 and 18 years from January 3, 2022, and give the third “precaution dose” to health and frontline workers and those above 60 with co-morbidities from January 10.
The announcement for children came just hours after the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) on Saturday gave Bharat Biotech approval for emergency use authorisation of Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine for children in the 12-18 years age group. The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) had recommended DCGI to grant emergency use to Covaxin for children.
While the demand for the booster doses was being raised amid the outbreak of the Omicron variant, PM Modi said India’s scientific community takes decisions only after a thorough examination.
Lauding the scientific community for its relentless effort in the fight against the pandemic, PM Modi said, “Our scientific community carefully decided every detail of the vaccine, when to take which doses etc. Now the scientific community has arrived at some crucial decisions which I would like to share with you on the auspicious occasion of Christmas and also the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” PM Modi said.
Amid the rising number of cases in the country, the prime minister said people must not panic and should continue following Covid protocol. “In India, many people have been found to be infected with Omicron. I would urge all of you not to panic, be careful and alert. Remember to wash hands and mask,” he said.
A nasal vaccine and the world’s first DNA vaccine against Covid will soon start in India, the prime minister added.
The beginning of a new vaccination phase from January 2022 will complete a year of India’s vaccination journey as the inoculation drive against Covid-19 began on January 16, 2021. Frontline workers and senior citizens with severe illness were the priority groups of the vaccination drive as well.
About India’s preparedness against any fresh surge in the pandemic, PM Modi said India is equipped with 90,000 beds for children and the country has reached maximum vaccination coverage in record time. Lauding the healthcare infrastructure of the country, PM Modi said soon there will be nasal vaccine and DNA vaccine.
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