New Delhi: India will start COVID vaccination of children in the age group of 15 to 18 years from January 3, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday. A “precautionary dose” for health care and frontline workers will be administered from January 10, 2022.
The Prime Minister said that people above 60 years of age with comorbidities will be able to receive a precautionary dose of COVID-19 vaccines from January 10, 2022.
In India, such a dose is called a ‘precautionary dose’ and not a booster dose, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
between growing countries omicron Countries around the world have begun expanding their COVID-19 vaccination programs to include young children.
The following is a list of countries that have approved or are considering vaccination for children:
Asia Pacific
- ABP News reported that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Bharat Biotech’s vaccine, Covaxin, for emergency use for children aged 12 to 18 years.
- India approved Cadila’s jab for emergency use in children above 12 years of age. However, it is yet to be rolled out.
- Two Sinoform and one Sinovac vaccine have been approved for children under three years of age in China. China’s Zhejiang province aims to complete the vaccination of children aged between three and 11 years by December.
- In Hong Kong, the age limit for Sinovac’s vaccine was lowered to three in late November.
- From January, Singapore hopes to expand the vaccines to children between the ages of five and 11. Malaysia intends to purchase Pfizer’s vaccine for the same age group.
- The Sinovac vaccine is authorized in Indonesia for children over the age of six.
- South Korea, Australia and the Philippines are immunizing children 12 years of age and older. Australia will start immunizing young children from January next year.
- According to an AP report in late October, Vietnam began vaccinating teens between the ages of 16 and 17.
Of America
- Cuba is vaccinating children under the age of two. The country aims to fully vaccinate 90 percent of its population by December.
- In early November, Venezuela said it was vaccinating children aged two to 11 years with Cuba’s Sobrana 2 vaccine.
- In Argentina, children under the age of three are being vaccinated with the Sinoform shot.
- In September, Chile and El Salvador began immunizing children between the ages of six and 11.
- In Costa Rica, COVID-19 vaccination has been made mandatory for children aged five and over.
- On November 2, US children between the ages of five and 11 were recommended to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Mexico announced that it will start vaccinating 15-year-olds. A few days after this announcement, Canada authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages five to 11 on November 19.
- In June, Brazil approved Pfizer’s vaccine for 12-year-olds.
- Pfizer, AstraZenca, Moderna, Sinofarm and J&J Vaccines are being offered in Colombia to people aged 12 and over. Children under the age of six are being vaccinated with a shot of Sinovac in Ecuador.
The European Union
- European Union countries began preparing the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 years from December this year.
- On 1 December, Italy approved vaccination for children between the ages of five and 11. Meanwhile, France’s regulator backed it for high-risk children aged five to 11.
- Czech Radio reported that the Czech Republic had pre-ordered shots for 700,000 children aged five to 11. In mid-May, Hungary began vaccinating people aged 16 to 18.
- According to media reports, after approving shots for teenagers in August, Germany will offer jobs to children under 12 from 2022.
- Estonia, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and Finland are offering the shots to children 12 years of age and older.
- According to government figures as of 28 November, about 63 percent of Dutch children aged 12 to 17 years have been fully vaccinated.
Europe’s non-EU countries
- Previously, the second dose was only open to vulnerable people aged 12 to 15 in the UK. Now, the UK Vaccine Committee has recommended a second dose for all children in this age group.
- In June, Switzerland approved the introduction of the Pfizer vaccine to children aged 12 to 15 years. Two months later, the country approved the Moderna vaccine for children in the same age group.
- In September Norway began administering a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine to 12-15-year-olds.
- At the end of December, Russia hopes to have a new vaccine available for children aged 12 to 17.
Middle East and Africa
- Sinoform vaccine approved for children aged 3-11 years in Bahrain
- Countries such as Israel, Oman and Saudi Arabia have approved Pfizer shots for children under the age of five. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have approved Pfizer’s shot for children under the age of five for emergency use.
- Children 12 years of age and older are being vaccinated in Jordan, Morocco, Guinea, Namibia and South Africa.
- All 14-year-olds in Zimbabwe are eligible for COVID-19 shots.
- In early November, Egypt said it would begin vaccinating children aged 15 to 18 using the Pfizer vaccine.
(with Reuters and agency inputs)
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