Children aged 15-18 to be administered only Covaxin from January 3

New Delhi : In view of the rising COVID cases in the country and the emergence of highly transmissible Omicron, The Health Ministry in the revised guidelines informed that the beneficiaries between the ages of 15-18 years now have the option of getting vaccinated with Covaxin only. The vaccination would begin from January 3, 2022 and can be availed at the vaccination centres currently in operation for adults.

Covaxin on Saturday received Emergency Use Listing for administration in children from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) after submission of data from clinical trials and prior recommendation from the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) in October. Developed by Hyderabad's Bharat Biotech, Covaxin is one of the vaccines being administered in India’s COVID vaccination drive for adults.

Children in the age-group of 15-18 years will now be able to register themselves on Co-WIN and book a slot for themselves. The beneficiaries can either self-register or create a new account to book appointments after verification. The beneficiaries also have the walk-in option of getting themselves registered onsite by the verifier or vaccinator.

The Health Ministry also released extended guidelines on the precaution dose that will be administered to the priority groups from 10th January 2022. The Healthcare Workers (HCWs) and Frontline workers (FLWs) who have received two doses will be provided another precaution on the completion of 9 months from the date of administration of the second dose.

The Government also informed that fully vaccinated senior citizens aged 60 years or above with comorbidities will also be provided the precautionary dose on advice of the ddoctor after completion of nine months ie 39 weeks from the second dose..

The option for availing the precautionary dose can be accessed through the existing Co-WIN account of the beneficiaries. Eligibility for the precaution doses will be based on the date of second dose administration and will be informed to the beneficiary through a message with all the details being reflected on the certificate.