42% eligible children receive first vaccine dose in 11 days
More than 3.14 crore teenagers have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for 42% of the eligible age group of 15-18 years. The feat has been achieved in a span of 11 days since the beginning of the vaccination drive for adolescents on January 3. The news comes amid a huge surge in COVID-19 cases across India.
Why does this story matter?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in December 2021, announced vaccinations for children aged 15-18 years. The central government reportedly aims to partially vaccinate 80-85% of teenagers in the eligible age group by the end of January 2022. The development is significant as India is witnessing a massive spike in COVID-19 cases, driven by the highly-infectious Omicron variant of coronavirus.
'Great sense of responsibility and enthusiasm'
"Great sense of responsibility & enthusiasm among Young India (sic)," Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said in a Twitter post. "I appeal to all my eligible young friends to get vaccinated at the earliest," he added.
UP administers over 40 lakh vaccines to teens
There are an estimated 7.40 crore people in the 15-18 age group. Among states and union territories, Uttar Pradesh has administered 43.35 lakh doses to teenagers, Madhya Pradesh has given out 27.55 lakh doses, while Bihar has administered 25.03 lakh, reported The Times of India. In the national capital Delhi, over 4.5 lakh doses have been administered to those in the 15-18 age group.
33 lakh booster doses given out
Overall, more than 155 crore coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered across the country. That figure includes some 33 lakh "precaution" or booster doses, administered to health workers, frontline staffers, and senior citizens since January 10.
COVID-19 situation in India
India reported nearly 2.64 lakh COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, marking a 6.7% jump from Thursday's count. A total of 315 related deaths were also registered during the same period. Active cases currently stand at 12,72,073, the daily positivity rate at 14.78%, and the weekly positivity rate at 11.83%. Meanwhile, the tally of cases involving the Omicron variant has reached 5,753.
