Centre asks states to ramp up 2nd Covid vaccine dose among teenagers, mentions ‘strategy’ to attain it
As many as 4,83,60,117 teenagers have so far been vaccinated against Covid-19 in India, of which, 11,28,099 have received both shots. Notably, India began vaccinating people aged above 15 from January 3 onwards.
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written a letter to all states and Union territories (UTs), asking them to ramp up the second dose vaccination coverage against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) among teenagers.
He also directed the second dose coverage among teenagers to be reviewed on a daily basis both on a state/UT level as well district ones. Besides accelerating second dose coverage, Bhushan asked states and UTs to ensure that remaining eligible beneficiaries receive their first shot of Covid-19 vaccine in a “time-bound manner”, according to the letter.
The health secretary said that a “tailored communication strategy”, with a focus on teenager population of the country and their caregivers, need to be rolled out in order to make them aware of the timely completion of Covid-19 vaccination schedule.
Also Read | Over 4,500 children in Delhi receive 2nd dose of Covid-19 vaccine: Govt data
India began vaccinating individuals aged 15-17 from January 3 onwards. According to the Union health ministry data, as many as 4,83,60,117 eligible beneficiaries in this age bracket have so far been inoculated with Covid-19 vaccine jabs. Of the total vaccinated, 4,72,32,018 have received their first dose while the remaining 11,28,099 have been administered with both shots.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin is being administered to teenagers as of now.
Meanwhile, the cumulative vaccination coverage against Covid-19 in India has surpassed the 167-crore mark (167,29,42,707 crore to be specific), the health ministry data revealed. Of this, 57,42,659 shots were administered across the country in the last 24 hours, with 13,01,619 being given to teenagers.
(With PTI inputs)