Covid-19: 15-18 yr old children to be given only Covaxin shots, for now

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is likely to be the only Covid-19 vaccine available, for now, for children in the age group of 15-18 years, who will be inoculated from January 3, PTI has reported quoting official sources.

Healthcare and frontline workers and citizens above 60 years of age with comorbidities would be administered the third dose of the same vaccine they had been given before.

The gap between the second and third dose of Covid-19 vaccine, which is being termed as "precaution dose", is likely to be nine to 12 months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a televised address to the nation on Saturday night, announced that vaccination against Covid-19 for children between 15-18 years will start from January 3. He ahd also announced "precaution dose" for healthcare and frontline workers from January 10.

The decisions came amid rising Covid cases linked to the Omicron variant of the virus.

Also watch: Amid Omicron fears, PM Modi announces Covid vaccine for kids between 15-18 years

The precaution dose will also be available for citizens above 60 years of age and with comorbidities on the advice of their doctor from January 10 next year as well, the prime minister had said.

"Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is the only COVID-19 vaccine which will be administered, for now, to children in the age group of 15-18 years who will be inoculated from January 3. The estimated population to be covered in this category is seven to eight crores," an official source said.

Zydus Cadila's vaccine ZyCoV-D got emergency use authorisation from the drug regulator on August 20, making it the first vaccine that could be administered in the age group of 12-18 years in the country. But it has not yet been introduced in the country's inoculation programme, even for adults.

The indigenously developed ZyCoV-D is the world's first DNA-based needle-free Covid-19 vaccine.