The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children above 12 years with certain health conditions. It is the second vaccine to receive the regulator’s nod for use among those below 18 years after Zydus Cadila’s needle-free COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D. On Saturday 25th December on the occasion of Christmas and former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee’s birth anniversary, Prime Minister Modi decided to address the nation on a short notice. The address (speech) was to clarify the decisions about the booster dose & child vaccination in the country so that there is no speculation.

Here are the highlights of the Prime Minister’s speech: 

1. India will start vaccinating children between the ages of 15 to 18 from 3rd January 2022. However the PM did not clarify which vaccines will be given to children. 

2. Healthcare and frontline workers will be provided with " precautionary doses" from 10th January 2022. 

3. People above 60 years of age who have comorbidities ( diabetes, BP, etc.) will also have the option to take the booster dose on a recommendation from doctors. This will also start from 10th January 2022. 

4. The Prime Minister said that people are preparing to welcome the new year with hope and celebration but it is also a time to be careful as the highly contagious Omicron variant is rapidly spreading. 

5. He appealed to the people not to panic but be careful and alert. " Use masks and wash hands regularly. Covid isn't past us yet. Being careful is very important," 

India has 18 lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh oxygen supported beds, 1.40 lakh ICU beds, 90,000 pediatric ICU and non-ICU beds, more than 3,000 working PSA oxygen plants, 4 lakh oxygen cylinders have been distributed throughout the nation.

Tags

• Modi
• PM
• DCGI
• Booster
• Dose
• vaccine

Advertisement