New Delhi: India will start giving booster shots to health and frontline workers and those above 60 from January 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Saturday. He also said vaccinations will begin for children between 15 and 18 years from January 3.
“The government has decided that precaution doses of the Covid vaccine will be started for healthcare and frontline workers from January 10, 2022,” the Prime Minister said in his address to nation on Christmas Day, not calling them booster shots.
Those over 60 with comorbidities or other health problems can take an extra dose of vaccine from January 10 on their doctor’s advice.
“Coronavirus is not gone… The world is now talking about Omicron. Today is (former Prime Minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday and Christmas, so we decided to announce this today,” PM Modi said.
He asserted that vaccinating children would boost the fight against the pandemic and help normalise teaching in schools.
A nasal vaccine and the world’s first DNA vaccine against Covid will soon start in India, the Prime Minister said.
According to the PM, 61 per cent of India’s adult population has received both doses of the Covid vaccine while 90 per cent has taken the first dose.
Earlier, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin was cleared for children above 12 by the drug regulator. It is the second vaccine to be cleared for children after Zydus Cadila’s needle-free vaccine ZyCoV-D.
On the uptick in Omicron cases, PM Modi urged people not to panic. “In India, many people have been found to be infected with Omicron. I would urge all of you not to panic, be careful and alert. Remember to wash hands and mask,” he said.
The government’s decision to vaccinate older children comes after much back-and-forth between various panels even as doctors’ bodies called for it. The Centre had recently told parliament that its top advisers were deliberating and considering scientific evidence.
7,189 new Covid cases were reported in the country Sunday. Omicron cases have gone up to 415 nationwide.
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