An intra-nasal Covid vaccine, approved by the central government, will be included in the Covid-19 vaccination program from Friday, news agencies quoted official sources as saying.
The vaccine, they further said, would be used as a heterologous booster and will first be available in private hospitals and centres.
The intranasal Covid vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech, will also be introduced Friday evening in CoWIN, the government’s web portal where one gets registered for vaccination.
The needle-free vaccine has been approved by the government as a booster dose for those above the age of 18.
Amid rising worry about a possible Covid wave, the government will also conduct a mock drill in the country’s hospitals to review their emergency response to Covid-19 cases.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit a government hospital when this drill is taken up on 27 December, Tuesday.
Union Minister Jytiraditya Scindia said Friday that India was fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus situation, as the country logged 163 fresh cases.
About the new Omicron sub-variant BF.7, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) Director Rakesh Mishra has said that India need not worry too much about its severity on the population.
Health Minister Mandaviya informed Parliament on Thursday that two percent of passengers arriving at India’s international airports would be randomly checked for Covid-19, indicating that the country had stepped up surveillance for the new variant.
“The global pandemic is not yet over… The virus is changing its face from time to time,” Mandaviya told Lok Sabha on Thursday, where several MPs were seen masked up.
Considering the upcoming festive week, Mandaviya has also advised state governments to strictly enforce Covid protocols.
News agency ANI has reported that Agra’s Taj Mahal, which attracts thousands of tourists every day, will now require visitors to undergo a COVID-19 test before they enter.
Also read: Omicron shows why global vaccine chains should be ready for unforeseen shocks