Over 41.3 lakh children in the 15-18 age group received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine until 11 PM on January, 3. The inoculation drive for teenagers in the age group of 15 to 18 that started on January 3, saw an enthusiastic turnout for vaccination with a total of 98.6 lakh jabs given, taking the daily tally close to a crore.
On Monday, Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya announced the news on Twitter where he wrote, “Well done Young India! Over 40 Lakhs between 15-18 age group received their first dose of #Covid19 vaccine on the 1st day of the vaccination drive for children, till 8 PM. This is another feather in the cap of India’s vaccination drive.”
Well done Young India! ✌🏼
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) January 3, 2022
Over 40 Lakhs between 15-18 age group received their first dose of #COVID19 vaccine on the 1st day of vaccination drive for children, till 8 PM.
This is another feather in the cap of India’s vaccination drive 💉#SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine pic.twitter.com/eieDScNpR4
While those vaccinated in the age group of 15-18 accounted for around 42% of the total jabs administered, The state of Madhya Pradesh set the record of giving the highest vaccinations to youngsters in the country with a total tally of 7.7 lakh. Gujarat too saw a massive turnout and with an overall count of 5.6 doses administered to the teens. BJP MLA from Vadodara Seema Mohile took on Twitter to inform how her daughter received the first dose of vaccination in a vaccination centre opened up in her school.
The Health Ministry has projected the number of teens in 15-18 age group at about 7.4 crores.
My daughter Kshipra took her first dose of COVID VACCINE in Mother’s School Vadodara today.I appeal to all the parents to get their children between the age group of 15-18 years vaccinated as soon as possible.@PMOIndia @narendramodi @CRPaatil @PatilOffice#AtmanirbharBharat pic.twitter.com/05YGOTyNjr
— Seema Mohile (@mohile_seema) January 3, 2022
Like Mohile, many parents shared photos of their teenage children getting the first dose of the vaccine.
Thanks for taking care of our kids. Relaxed as my son got his first vaccine shot today… 3 Jan 2022..@narendramodi @MoHFW_INDIA @BharatBiotech pic.twitter.com/TeAIaiP94A
— Akanksha Rastogi (@akankshalabh21) January 4, 2022
My son Omm took his first shot of vaccine today…
— The Opinionated Female 🇮🇳 (@sucharita_BJP) January 4, 2022
Vaccination drive for 15 – 18 years started from 3rd January, 2022..
Thank you @narendramodi ji pic.twitter.com/AeWfnCit47
A concerned parent while tagging politicians requested the parents to vaccinate their children as soon as possible and not to fall for the negative propaganda around vaccines.
@kmc_kolkata @MamataOfficial today my son took his 1st vaccine(15-18) at 67 ward kmc without any hassle.Would request parents to vaccinate their children in this bracket rather than finding fault at the name of the vaccine.
— shweta (@shwetamahnoori) January 3, 2022
While Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat flared up in administering doses, big states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Bihar are yet to show promising numbers in terms of doses given to teenagers in the 15-18 age group.
On Monday, just hours after the vaccination drive opened up, some parents alleged that ‘expired’ vaccines were being administered, The Central Health ministry flagged off such reports as “false and misleading and based on incomplete information.”
The ministry clarified, “The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on 25th October 2021, in response to M/s Bharat Biotech International Limited’s letter no: BBIL/RA/21/567 has approved the extension of shelf life of Covaxin (Whole Virion, Inactivated CoronaVirus Vaccine) from 9 months to 12 months. Similarly, the shelf life of Covishield has been extended by the National Regulator from 6 months to 9 months on 22nd February 2021.”
Bharat Biotech had also shared on Twitter that following the availability of stability data, the shelf life of their vaccines has been extended to 12 months from the date of manufacture by the CDSCO.
Shelf-Life Extension of COVAXIN®#covaxin #COVID19 #covid #BharatBiotech #pandemic #environment #environmentallyfriendly #ecofriendly #immunization #savetheplanet pic.twitter.com/fgUN8KfwzR
— BharatBiotech (@BharatBiotech) December 20, 2021
On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video announcement said that adolescents in the age group of 15 to 18 will be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine from January 03, 2021. The registration for the drive was started on January 01 while the decision came concerning the rise of Omicron variant cases in India.
