India starts vaccinating 15 to 18 years olds from January 3. More than six lakh children have completed their registrations till Sunday evening on CoWIN app. Children with the birth year of 2007 or before will be eligible for vaccination under this category. The states will have to adhere to guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry on December 27. The third dose of vaccine will be given to the vulnerable categories from January 10, 2022.

According to the instructions, two separate vaccination teams - one for children and another for adults- should be set up to avoid confusion. The authorities should make sure that those who have taken the vaccine should wait for 30 minutes and the second dose will be administered only after 28 days.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday tweeted: "On the occasion of New Year, registration is being started on CoWIN portal for immunisation of children against COVID-19 in the age group of 15 to 18 years from today. I request the family members to register the eligible children for vaccination."

Talking to IANS, senior pediatrician and Delhi Medical Council President, Dr. Arun Gupta, said: "Covaxin is absolutely safe for teens as enough trials have been done. It is high time that we should shun anxiety, and come forward to participate in the vaccination."

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin’s gets emergency approval in children between 2 and 18 years of age as a layer of protection against coronavirus or Covid-19 disease. Covaxin is the second Covid-19 vaccine to be approved for emergency use among children in India after Zydus Healthcare’s ZyCoV-D.

Also Read: Omicron Causes, Symptoms and Treatment