India begins Covid-19 vaccination drive for teenagers

100 million young people to be given doses before front-line workers and the elderly receive booster shots

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India on Monday introduced a Covid-19 vaccination campaign for teenagers aged 15-18, as it expands its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

About half a million young people received doses on the first day of the campaign, which aims to cover 100 million teenagers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Christmas Day inoculations for teenagers and also booster shots for front-line workers and India's elderly and vulnerable population.

The decision came amid fears of rising cases of Omicron and the threat of a third wave at a time when schools and colleges are reopening across the country, nearly two years since the pandemic forced their closure.

The government’s Covid-19 vaccination registration portal CoWin said more than 800,000 teens had registered to be vaccinated with the home-grown Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

India is administering Covaxin for its adult population and last week gave it the emergency approval for the minor age group.

It is roping in schools to encourage parents to immunise their children and has set up special sections at hospitals and healthcare centres for vaccinating them.

Indian teenagers wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccination at a government school in Gauhati. India has begun vaccinating teenagers in the age group 15 to 18, as more states enforce tighter restrictions to arrest a surge of infections driven by the Omicron variant. AP Photo

A health worker prepares to vaccinate a teenager in Gauhati, India. On Monday, state governments across the country administered doses at schools, hospitals and special vaccination sites amid a rapid rise in coronavirus infections. AP Photo

Indian pupils visit their school for a Covid-19 vaccine dose in Kolkata. EPA

Indian students visit their school for a COVID-19 vaccine dose in Kolkata Eastern India. Indian government announced a Covid-19 vaccine drive for students aged 15 to 18 at their schools from 03 January 2022. EPA

Teenage pupils queue for vaccinations at a government school in Gauhati. AP Photo

A teenager receives a Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine at a government hospital in Hyderabad, India. AP Photo

An Indian teenager after receiving a Covaxin inoculation in Hyderabad. India is experiencing a rapid rise in coronavirus infections, particularly in the country's densely populated cities. AP Photo

Pupils visit their school in Kolkata to be inoculated against Covid-19. EPA

At a government school in Gauhati, India, pupils wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccination, part of a drive to inoculate teenagers in the age group 15 to 18. AP Photo

A teenager after being vaccinated at a government school in New Delhi, India. AP Photo

The recipients will be monitored for 30 minutes at vaccination centres for any adverse effects and will be eligible for the second dose after 28 days.

Officials have approved walk-in centres to maximise the coverage of the drive.

In the capital Delhi, around 160 vaccination centres are administering doses to its one-million teenage population in the first phase of the drive.

The western city of Mumbai has set a target of inoculating 2,500 teenagers a day. Its civic body has set up dedicated vaccination areas in nine Covid-care centres, called "jumbo facilities", to ensure a speedy programme.

In the southern state of Kerala, dedicated centres are being set up at community and primary healthcare centres and authorities have put up "pink boards" to help identify registration counters and vaccination areas for children.

A teenager poses for photos after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine dose at a government hospital, in Hyderabad, India. Photo: AP

India has administered 1.4 billion doses of vaccines since it began vaccinations for healthcare and front-line workers last January, before extending the campaign to the adult population.

More than 90 per cent of its 944 million adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 62 per cent obtained two doses.

The country is experiencing a fresh wave of infections due to sharp rise in the highly transmissible cases.

The daily caseload has tripled in the past week.

On Monday, the country reported 33,750 Covid-19 cases and 123 deaths, taking the total infection tally to nearly 35 million and 481,893 deaths.