Covid-19 vaccination: PM Modi lauds youngsters as 50 per cent youngsters as 50% in 15-18 age group completes first jab
More than 50 per cent of India’s population belong to the age group between 15 aaand 18 years have received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccination already just a few weeks through starting the fourth phase of vaccination this year. PM Narendra Modi lauded the youngsters on the occasion for getting vaccinated at the earliest making India achieve the feat and asked them to continue the momentum.
The announcement was made by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya today. “Your enthusiasm for vaccination is inspiring people all over” he said in his tweet. India started vaccinating those between 15 and 18 years of age on January 3. He further informed 3.5 crore in the age group have received the first dose of Covaxin and is expecting the first phase of the vaccination drive for this age group to be over by the end of this month. In Delhi, 60 per cent eligible children were vaccinated for the first dose in the eligible 10 lakh.
So far, 56 lakh precautionary third Covid dose has been administered to healthcare, frontline workers and those aged above 60 years since January 10. India’s cumulative vaccine coverage is 158.88 crore now.
According to Dr N K Arora, chairman of the Covid-19 working group of the National technical Advisory Group on Immunisation the vaccination programme for 12-14 age group is likely to start in March.
The Covid-19 cases shot up in most states in India starting the third wave early this year. Experts believing in the Sutra model have predicted that most states will reach its peak by the end of January itself and metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata have already reached their peak cases.
India recorded 2,82,970 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The daily positivity rate has increased by 15.13 per cent. The Omicron tally reached 8.961. There were 441 Covid-19 related deaths.