New Delhi: With India set to open up Covid-19 vaccination for 15-18 year olds from Monday, over six lakh teens have registered for their jabs on the Co-WIN platform as of Sunday night, according to government data.
Paediatric vaccinations will begin across centres in India at 9 am. Even those who have not registered on the Co-WIN app can walk into any centre to get their jabs.
However, the only shot available currently for this age group is Covaxin, which has been developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Ltd.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare estimates, there are at least 7.4 crore teenagers in the 15-18 age group in India.
The highest number of individuals in this group are in Uttar Pradesh, with over 1.4 crore teenagers projected to become eligible for paediatric vaccines today. This is followed by Maharashtra, with more than 60 lakh eligible teenagers.
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Prep for teen vaccination
States governments have made arrangements at either existing or new vaccination centres for teenagers, while private hospitals will also be providing the shots.
The Union health ministry had instructed district officials to identify sites for vaccinations, and preferably create separate sites at vaccination centres for teens. These sites are to be prominently marked with signages so that there is no mixing with adult vaccines.
Although the vaccines for both adults and teens are the same, it comes in pre-filled syringes for the latter to ensure dose accuracy.
Teens can use their school IDs to receive vaccination. They can either be registered on the Co-WIN app through a separate number or get registered through their parent’s numbers.
After the vaccination, individuals will be monitored for adverse reactions for 30 minutes. Some of the adverse reactions expected from teen vaccination include pain at injection site, fever, and headaches.
While the Drug Controller General of India had approved the use of the ZyCoV-D DNA vaccine in children above the age of 12, it has not been included in the vaccination programme for children yet, as only Covaxin has World Health Organisation (WHO) approval, the ministry said.
Vaccination for 15-18 year olds in the country is starting amid rising infections and the spread of the Omicron variant.
So far over 90 per cent of India’s adult population has received a single dose of the vaccine, and over 63 per cent have been fully vaccinated.
(Edited by Amit Upadhyaya)
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