From vaccine for kids to third shots for healthcare workers and older adults: 3 key announcements about India's COVID vaccination drive

Amid the growing threat of the Omicron variant across the globe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made three key announcements about India's COVID vaccination drive. Addressing the nation on Saturday, the Prime Minister advised the citizens to be careful about the highly contagious Omicron variant that is causing havoc in European countries and is believed to become a dominant variant in the coming months. He also assured the citizens that all the possible preparations are in order to tackle increasing infections. Here are the three major takeaways from his address:

The Prime Minister said that from January 3, 2022, children in the age group of 15-18 will be eligible for COVID vaccination. Currently, only those who are 18 and above were allowed to get vaccinated. The Indian Government has till now approved two vaccines to be administered to kids. In August, Zydus Cadila’s three-dose DNA shot was permitted to be used on adults and children over the age of 12 and in October Bharat Biotech's Covaxin got a nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use on kids between the ages of 12 and 18. Talking about the vaccination, Covaxin manufacturers said that the drug is formulated uniquely such that the same dosage can be administered to both adults and children. The shot is safe and efficient on the original strain as well as subsequent variants.

Read more: COVID-19 variant: What is Delmicron and how is it different from Omicron?

The government has also approved a third boost dose of the vaccine which they have termed as "precaution dose" for all healthcare and frontline workers from January 10, 2022. The third shot would be administered to those who have got their second dose of vaccine nearly 5-6 months ago. While making the announcement, the Prime Minister said that permission for the precaution dose has been granted due to concerns among people in regards to a drop in their immunity level after a period of time.

Along with healthcare workers, the Indian Government has also approved a precautionary third dose for older adults who are 60+ and suffering from any chronic health issues that makes them more susceptible to coronavirus infection. But the senior citizens can only get the dose on the recommendation of their doctors. Till now it is not clear which vaccine would be administered as the precautionary shot. As per a report, the country’s top technical advisory body on COVID-19 vaccination is of consensus when administered, the additional shot should be of a vaccine based on a platform different from that of the first two doses administered in the country. Serum Institute’s Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca) and the Russian-made Sputnik V are adenovirus-based vaccines, while Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin contains an inactivated virus. So, the chances are that the third dose will not be based on an inactive whole virus or adenovirus vector Covid-19.

Read more: Some doctors feel there is no need to vaccinate kids against COVID: We find out why

The vaccination drive in India against the contagious COVID-19 began on January 16, 2021. The initial doses were given to frontline workers and senior citizens. As India completes a year of its vaccination journey, it is ready to enter a new vaccination phase to strengthen the immunity and provide protection to kids, who were considered as the carrier of the virus in the beginning.

Covering kids under the vaccine drive and third shot for the senior citizens and healthcare workers are essential at the current time when the Omicron variant is spreading its claws across the globe. Being three times more transmissible than the Delta variant, experts believe that Omicron is potent enough to cause the third coronavirus wave in the country. This is time to be more cautious to cut down the risk of infection. Follow all COVID norms, wear a mask, avoid crowded places and maintain proper hygiene to stay safe.