Vaccinations kicked off for teens in the 15 to 18 age group from today across India amid a surge of Covid cases in multiple cities.
The vaccination programme – carried out in consultation with schools – is being held at hospitals and health centres.
The clearance from the government came amid a threat of growing cases of Omicron, the highly infectious variant that is sweeping Europe and the US, replacing Delta as the dominant strain. India reported 123 Omicron cases yesterday, the lowest in the last five days. India’s cumulative Omicron tally, after adding old unaccounted cases, stood at 1,711.
The Union Health Ministry has said only Covaxin will be administered to teens and additional doses of the vaccine will be sent to all states and Union Territories.
India yesterday reported a single-day rise of 27,553 COVID-19 cases and 284 deaths. With 9,249 recoveries recorded in the last 24 hours, the active caseload stood at 122,801. Major cities across the country have witnessed a surge in their COVID count. Delhi saw 3,194 fresh cases with a test positivity rate of 4.59 per cent while Mumbai reported 8,063 new infections.