New Delhi: Amid concerns over the safety of children less than 15 years old in the current pandemic, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in Rajya Sabha that the Government will take a call on the vaccination of the related group based on the suggestions of the experts' group it has set up.
"So far nearly 67 per cent in the 15 to 18 years age group have been vaccinated in the country. The vaccination drive is progressing rapidly. The decision (to vaccinate those less than 15 years old) will be taken on the basis of the suggestion given by the expert's group," said Mandaviya. He was responding to questions raised by BJP MP Syed Zafar Islam on the threat posed by Omicron to children.
Replying to questions raised by BJP MP T G Venkatesh regarding the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Health Minister said that not just ICMR, but global scientific institutes have said that vaccination helps reduce mortality and hospitalization rate among Covid-19 patients.
He also said that compared to developed countries where not more than 90 per cent received their first dose, in India 97.5 persons of eligible persons received the first dose and 77 per cent received the second dose. "We are tackling the Covid-19 pandemic better," he said. Citing a study by ICMR, he said that 99.3 per cent of people suffering from Covid-19 were safe as they are vaccinated.
Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, the minister shared the achievement of the country while extending greetings and said that country's youths are fighting the pandemic with full vigour. "Congratulations to the youth power. More than 5 crore youth in the age group of 15-18 got the first dose of the vaccine. Young India is fighting the pandemic with full vigour. Great going, my young friends!" he tweeted with the hashtag 'SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine'.
Notably, the vaccination drive for those aged between 15-18 years commenced on January 3 this year. Meanwhile, India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 170.21 crores on Tuesday morning. The Ministry said that more than 168.08 crore vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through the government's free-of-cost channel and through direct state procurement category. More than 11.81 crore balance and unutilized COVID vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered, it added. The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination was started on January 16, 2021.
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