new Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said that over one crore children in the age group of 12-14 years have been given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccination for this age group began on March 16 with the biological E’s intramuscular vaccine Corbevax, with two doses to be given at 28-day intervals.
Till March 1 last year, there were 47 million children in the age group of 12 and 13 in the country.
“More than 10 million children in the age group 12-14 have received their first dose of #COVID19 vaccine. Congratulations to all my young warriors who have got vaccinated. Let’s keep the momentum going!” Mandaviya tweeted.
As per provisional reports till 7 am, the cumulative COVID-19 vaccine dose administered in the country has exceeded 182.55 crore.
The nationwide vaccination campaign was launched on January 16 last year, in which health workers were vaccinated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2 last year.
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination began on March 1 last year for people above 60 years of age and 45 years and above with specified co-morbid conditions.
India started vaccination for all people above 45 years of age from 1st April last year. Following this, the government decided to expand its vaccination campaign by allowing everyone over the age of 18 to be vaccinated against the viral disease from May 1 last year.
The next phase of vaccination began on January 3 for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years.
India began giving preventive doses of vaccines to health care and frontline workers and people aged 60 years and above from January 10.
The country started immunizing children aged 12-14 from March 16.