Covaxin shot for children aged 15-18: India govt

Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, will be the only shot available to children aged 15-18 when inoculation begins for them from January 3, the Indian health ministry said in its guidelines released yesterday.“This (Covaxin) is the only vaccine with emergency use listing for the age-group 15-18,” the federal health ministry said yesterday. Covid-19 infections are decreasing in India, with 6,642 new cases reported on average each day. That represents 2% of the highest daily average reported on May 9.There have been 34.8mn infections and nearly 480,000 deaths coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began.However, India has reported a swift rise in Omicron cases, with the number of overall infections crossing 400 across 17 Indian states.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been accelerating its vaccination campaign, administering at least one dose to 90% of the eligible 944mn population, while 62% have taken both doses.As millions still await second shots, the authorities will now start offering booster shots to healthcare and frontline workers, who suffered from an overwhelming second-wave of the virus in the summer that killed tens of thousands.Medical experts have said India needs to double down on its vaccination campaign and expand coverage to avert another possible surge in infections particularly in the vast hinterlands where healthcare facilities are sparse.Modi has urged citizens to continue to wear facemasks and follow other Covid-19 protocols.The federal government has also urged states to impose curbs on overcrowding in the festive season until the new year and a few states have partially banned public celebrations.Earlier a senior epidemiologist at AIIMS, who is the principal investigator of Covaxin trials for adults and children at the institute, termed the central government’s  decision to vaccinate children against Covid “unscientific” and said it will not yield any additional benefit.Dr Sanjay K Rai, who is also the president of the Indian Public Health Association, said before implementing the decision, data from countries that have already started vaccinating children should be analysed.The government said vaccinating children in the 15-18 age group will reduce the worries of children going to schools and colleges and their parents, and boost the fight against the pandemic, and help in the normalisation of teaching in schools.Meanwhile, Gujarat yesterday reported 24 new Omicron cases, raising the tally in the state to 73, an official said.Ahmedabad city led with 13 new cases, comprising nine with international travel history and four with no travel history, the state department official said. All the four cases reported in Gandhinagar city had international travel history, while the three people detected with the new variant in Rajkot city did not have any travel history, the department said in a release. One case each was reported in Amreli, Anand, Bharuch and Vadodara districts, it added.Earlier, Mumbai  reported 809 Covid cases and three deaths. taking the tally in the city to 7,71,921 and the toll to 16,373, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. The day’s addition was a fall from the 922 cases reported on Sunday, he pointed out.The recovery count increased to 7,48,199 after 335 people were discharged during the day, leaving Mumbai with 4,765 active cases, he said. With 43,383 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in the country’s financial capital went up to 1,34,92,241, BMC data showed.Meanwhile, the Kerala government yesterday decided to impose a night curfew in the state to contain the spread of the Omicron variant  The night curfew will be effective from December 30 to January 2. Strict restrictions will be in place from 10pm-5am on those days. The major aim of the restrictions is to limit crowding in connection with the New Year celebrations. The decision was taken at a meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, to review the Covid-19 situation in the state.In the meeting, it was decided that New Year’s celebrations would not be allowed after 10pm on December 31 and the seating capacity in clubs, hotels, restaurants and eateries will remain at 50%, a press release said.