New Delhi: Only Bharat Biotech’s vaccine ‘Covaccine’ is likely to be available for anti-Covid vaccination to be administered to adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years from January 3 next year. Government sources have given this information.
Simultaneously, health and frontline workers and people above 60 years of age suffering from serious illness will be given the third dose of the same vaccine as the first two doses have been given to them.
Let us inform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in a message to the nation on Saturday night that from January 3, an anti-Covid vaccination campaign will be started for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years, while from January 10, health and frontline workers will be ‘ The ‘precautionary dose’ means the third dose will be applied.
The decision comes amid a surge in Covid cases related to the ‘Omicron’ form of the virus. Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaccine’ is currently the only anti-Covid-19 vaccine that will be administered to adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years from January 3, a government source said.
He said that the estimated population in this category is seven to eight crores. The Zydus Cadila vaccine ‘Jacov-D’ has not been included in the country’s vaccination program so far, even for the adult population, the sources said. However, it was approved by the Drug Controller for emergency use on August 20, making it the first vaccine in the country that can be administered to the age group of 12-18 years.
The interval between the second and third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can be nine to 12 months. Necessary changes are being made on the COVIN portal so that a new category of vaccination can be registered. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Friday approved the indigenously developed Covaccine vaccine for emergency use on children above the age of 12 years but also imposed certain conditions. (agency)