Vaccination for 12-14 age group: 20 lakh children targeted in Karnataka

Gearing up to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination for children in the 12-14 age group on Wednesday, Karnataka has stocked up on 20 lakh doses of CorBEvax

A representational image

Gearing up to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination for children in the 12-14 age group on Wednesday, Karnataka has stocked up on 20 lakh doses of CorBEvax (the authorised vaccine for this group) for a target of 20 lakh beneficiaries.

Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar will launch the rollout at the State-run Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College (Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute) at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday. 

Arundathi Chandrashekar, State mission director, National Health Mission (NHM), said children born on or before March 15, 2010, will be eligible for vaccination in this phase. “Each beneficiary will be administered two doses of CorBEvax.  The second dose will be administered 28 days after the first,” she said.

Precaution doses for beneficiaries above 60 years (irrespective of co-morbidities) will also be rolled. So far, only senior citizens with co-morbidities who have completed nine months after their second dose were eligible.  The State has a target of 76.58 lakh beneficiaries in the age group of above 60.

Only in government facilities now

For children in the 12-14 age group, vaccination will be  initially done only in government healthcare facilities, free of cost. “Later, once the system stabilises,  schools will be the vaccination centres. They will provide support staff and space for vaccination,” she said. 

Subsequently, children who miss their vaccination on session days at schools will be directed to the nearby healthcare centres. Vaccination for children with any co-morbidities will be carried out in the healthcare facility under the supervision of a medical officer, she said.

A note from the Health Department said all vaccinated children can download their vaccination certificate from the CoWIN portal.  “Schools that are conducting online classes can fix a day for the vaccination,” the statement said.

School dropouts will be mobilised to government hospitals with the support of the Labour, the RDPR, and the Urban Development Departments. The Health Department has sought the support of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics and private paediatricians in allaying anxiety and apprehension among children and parents.