New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged children aged 12 to 14 years to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus as the window for the age group begins today. The PM also urged those above the age of 60 to get a precaution dose.
"Today is an important day in India’s efforts to vaccinate our citizens. Now onwards, youngsters in the 12-14 age group are eligible for vaccines & all those above 60 are eligible for precaution doses. I urge people in these age groups to get vaccinated", PM Modi said in a tweet.
"India’s vaccination drive, which is the largest in the world, is science-driven. We began work to create vaccines in early 2020, to protect our citizens and strengthen our fight against the pandemic", he added.
India has expanded its COVID-19 vaccination drive with the inclusion of children in the age group of 12-14 years starting on Wednesday while those aged above 60 years are also eligible now for the precaution dose.
The children in the said age group will be administered Corbevax vaccine manufactured by Hyderabad-based Biological E. It is India's first indigenously developed Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the co-morbidity clause for administering precaution doses to those aged 60 years has been removed and all above 60 years of the age can be administered with precaution dose starting today.
Earlier, the administration of precaution dose was restricted to those above 60 years of age with comorbidities, frontline workers and healthcare workers.
India commenced its nationwide COVID vaccination drive on January 16, 2021. Starting initially by inoculating vaccines to healthcare workers, it was then expanded to frontline workers, followed by people above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with comorbidities. Later it was also expanded to all above 45 years of age and then those above 18 years of age.
The vaccination drive for those between the age group 15-18 was started on January 3 this year and for administering the precautionary doses to the healthcare workers, frontline workers and sixty plus individuals then commenced on January 10 this year.
India's cumulative vaccination coverage has crossed 180.58 crore, as per government data available till 7 pm yesterday.
