Highlights
- PM Modi urged caution against the Omicron variant
- All possible preparations are in order to tackle increasing infections: PM
- Precaution dose will be a 3rd dose of the same vaccine a person has taken
New Delhi: In wake of the steady rise in the cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant of coronavirus across the states in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday (December 25) that now children in the age group 15-18 will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and that ‘Precaution Dose’ has been approved for health and frontline workers and the elderlies with comorbidities. The Prime Minister said that as people prepare to welcome the new year with hope and celebration, it’s also a time to be careful as the highly contagious Omicron variant is rapidly pushing up Covid infections. He appealed to the people not to panic but be careful and alert.
Covid is not past us yet. Being careful is very important. Use masks and wash hands regularly, he said.
Here are the five announcements made by the government about COVID-19 vaccination in India:
- COVID-19 vaccination for children between 15 and 18 will begin from January 3, 2022. They will be vaccinated with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin only.
- Children aged 15-18 can register for COVID-19 vaccines on the CoWIN app from January 1 using their school ID cards.
- ‘Precaution dose’ of Covid vaccines for health and frontline workers will begin from January 10, 2022.
- Those over 60 with comorbidities or other health problems can take an extra dose of vaccine from January 10.
- ‘Precaution dose’ will be a third dose of the same vaccine a person has taken — be it Covishield or Covaxin. The prioritisation and sequencing of the ‘precaution dose’ would be based on the completion of nine months from the date of administration of the second dose
According to the government, teenagers can access registration and appointment services online and onsite modes, and details of administration of the precaution dose will reflect in vaccination certificates.
Beneficiaries can self-register online through an existing CoWIN account or create a new account through a mobile phone number. This facility is available for all eligible citizens only. They can be also registered onsite by a verifier or vaccinator in the facilitated registration mode, the ministry stated. On vaccination of children, the guidelines said,
For such beneficiaries, option for vaccination would only be available for Covaxin as this is the only vaccine with EUL (emergency use listing) for the age-group 15-17.
According to the Prime Ministers, all possible preparations are in order to tackle increasing infections.
Today, the nation has 18 lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh oxygen-supported beds, 1.4 lakh ICU beds, and 90,000 special beds for children. Today, we have over 3,000 functional PSA Oxygen plants and 4 lakh Oxygen cylinders have been provided to all states, he said.
He highlighted that apart from research on the vaccine, the government is also working on approval processes, supply chains, distribution, training, IT support system, and certification.
Today, more than 61 per cent of India’s adult population has received both doses of the vaccine. Similarly, about 90 per cent of the adult population has been given a single dose of the vaccine, he said.
Also Read: Omicron Highly Transmissible, People Have Become Lax: AIIMS Chief
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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