Two-third COVID-19 deaths in 12-18 age group, need to protect adolescents: Task force head Dr NK Arora

NEW DELHI: Amid growing concerns over rising Covid-19 cases and in the country, the COVID-19 task force chairman, NK Arora has called for protecting the adolescents as they are mobile and more prone to getting infected.

Arora said that children between the age group of 12-18 years behave very much like adults and since they are mobile, they need to be protected. He added that nearly two-third of COVID-related deaths have been recorded in the age group of 12-18.

Dr Arora also said that there is no special effort required in the implementation of the vaccination programme for adolescents.

“Immunisation of these children can be started in a short period without any specific preparation. It is a two-dose schedule given at a four-week interval. The dosage requirement will be the same as adults,” Dr Arora was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The remarks from Dr Arora came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address to the nation that vaccination against coronavirus for children between 15-18 years will start from January 3.

Also, 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 announcement came amid rising Covid cases linked to the new Omicron variant of the virus.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had granted emergency use authorisation to indigenously-developed Covaxin for children above 12 years with certain conditions on Friday.

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. More than 61 per cent of India's adult population has received both doses of the vaccine. Similarly, about 90 per cent of the adult population has received the first dose of the Covid vaccine. 

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 141 crore.