Himachal Pradesh has announced its anti-Covid vaccination schedule for children aged 15-18 years after the state detected its maiden case of Omicron recently.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the vaccination for the children as per the decision taken by the Covid-19 Working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), will start on January 3 in all the districts simultaneously.
As per data available, around four lakh children born in 2007 or earlier will be eligible to take the jab will be eligible for the dose.
Along with this, all healthcare and frontline workers and people aged 60 and above with two doses will be given a precautionary third dose from January 10.
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“The beneficiaries in the 15-18 age group can register themselves on the Co-WIN portal. The beneficiaries can self-register online through an existing account on Co-WIN or can also register by creating a new account through a unique mobile number,” said Hemraj Bhairva, Mission Director, National Health Mission .
The eligible persons can register onsite if online registration is not possible due to poor internet connectivity. The appointments can be booked online or onsite (walk-in).
“For the new beneficiaries, Covaxin will be used, which is the only safe available vaccine for the group,” he said.
The government is working on a special strategy to hold camps/sessions in the schools for the vaccination of the children in the eligible groups.
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“We are also keeping in mind the several peculiar factors: climatic conditions including snowfall , likely disruption of road connectivity to the tribal and other inaccessible terrains. But, we will reach every single eligible person” said Bhirva.
The additional dose would be provided to healthcare workers and frontline workers, who have received two doses. The dose will also be given to all persons aged 60 years and above with comorbidities who have already received two doses on a doctor’s advice.
The precautionary dose would be given to those who had completed 9 months (39 weeks) from the date of administration of the second dose.
Meanwhile, 13 children at Bhakra Senior Secondary School in Bilaspur have been tested positive.
A senior doctor said the Covid-19 positive reports came after rapid antigen test (RAT) was conducted in the district. Of 16 samples that were sent for testing, as many as 13 were found to be positive.
The woman, who tested positive for the Omicron variant in Himachal Pradesh, is 45-years-old and had come back to India from Canada on December 3. She has now tested negative and has recovered.
“The three RT-PCR (tests) of a close relative of the patient have also came negative,” said Bhairva
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He appealed that the parents should come forward to get their children vaccinated and protect them from Covid.
Himachal Pradesh has already achieved 100 per cent vaccination of both doses for all adult populations above 18 years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Mandi two days back, hoped that Himachal Pradesh will complete vaccination of the children between 15 to 18 yrs and also achieve a landmark in coverage of precautionary dose for the rest of the vaccinated population.
