Over 3 Crore Covid Vaccine Doses Administered To 12-14 Age Group: Centre

New Delhi: Over three crore children in the age group of 12-14 years have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday (May 10). The vaccination for children between the 12-14 age group started on March 16 with Biological E’s intramuscular vaccine Corbevax, which is administered to the beneficiaries in an interval of 28 days.

Children are making a significant contribution to the vaccination campaign! Over 3 crore youngsters between 12-14 age group have received 1st dose of COVID19 vaccine. Congratulations to all my young friends who got vaccinated, Mr Mandaviya said in a tweet.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 190.48 Crore (1,90,48,54,263) on Monday. So far 3,06,69,820 children between the 12-14 age group have been administered the first dose of the vaccine while 1,02,00,272 have received the second dose.

Also Read: Covid Vaccines Of All Eligible Children At Earliest A Priority: PM To Chief Ministers

In the age group of 15-18 years, 5,87,70,428 first doses of the vaccine have been administered, and 4,33,08,651 second doses.

The countrywide vaccination drive began on January 16 last year with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase.

Vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2, 2021. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on March 1 last year for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

India launched vaccinations for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1 last year. The government then expanded its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years of age to be inoculated against the viral disease from May 1, 2021.

Also Read: DCGI Grants Emergency Use Authorisation To Corbevax For Those Aged 5-12, Covaxin For 6-12 Age Group

COVID-19 vaccination for minors in India started from January 3 onwards for those in the 15-18 age group with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. The drive later expanded on March 16 to include children aged above 12 for Biological E’s Corbevax.

The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on March 1 last year for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

Similarly, the COVID-19 precaution dose administration for the age group 18-59 years also started from April 10 onwards.

India witnessed a slight dip in the COVID-19 cases on Monday as the country reported 3,207 fresh infections in a day, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

Also Read: 70 Per Cent People Who Took Booster Dose Didn’t Get Covid During 3rd Wave In India: Study

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.