Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Saturday (December 25, 2021) announced that vaccination against COVID-19 for children belonging to the age group of 15 to 18 will start from January 3 while precautionary COVID-19 dose for frontline and healthcare workers will commence from January 10, 2022.
In addition to this, PM Modi also said that a precautionary dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to citizens above the age of 60 years and who have multiple comorbidities on the basis of their doctor’s advice.
“We are set to begin vaccination for kids aged between 15-18 from 3rd January 2022. This will not just strengthen our fight against COVID, but also help our students in schools and colleges health-wise,” PM Modi said.
My address to the nation. https://t.co/dBQKvHXPtv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2021
“Our frontline warriors have played a huge role in our fight against the pandemic. The government has, thus, also decided that we will begin with precautionary doses for the health workers from 10th January 2022,” PM Modi added.
Besides, PM Modi also asked citizens not to lower their guard in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as the virus is still around, powered by the latest variant omicron. “Taking care of all precautions and vaccination are the best ways to combat the pandemic. Our nation had started working on mission mode on vaccine development a long time ago,” PM Modi said.
“Infections are rising across several nations due to a new variant of COVID, Omicron. In India, there have been a few cases as well. I call upon all of you to not panic. Use masks and sanitize yourself regularly,” PM Modi said in his address to the nation.
The Prime Minister also talked about the nation’s preparedness in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. He said India currently has 18 lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh oxygen supported beds, 1.4 lakh ICU beds and 90,000 special beds for kids. Furthermore, the Centre has provided over 3,000 functional PSA Oxygen plants and 4 lakh cylinders have been provided to all states.
DGCI grants approval to Covaxin for minors aged 12 to 18
PM Modi’s announcement about making COVID-19 vaccines available to children in the age group of 15 to 18 came shortly after the Drugs Controller General of India has approved the Covid vaccine Covaxin for minors aged 12 to 18. According to reports, DCGI has granted emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech to use the made-in-India vaccine to people in the age group 12 years to 18 years.
