A request has been placed before the Union Health Ministry with regard to administering COVID-19 vaccines, which have received emergency use authorisation, to children.
Telangana Health Minister T. Harish Rao has also requested Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to permit booster dose for healthcare workers, frontline workers and people in high-risk groups such as those suffering from long-term illnesses.
Sharing the news of this development, Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao said a response from the Centre is expected in two to three days.
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Earlier, Mr Harish Rao has suggested the Ministry to reduce the time gap between two doses of Covishield from the existing 12 weeks, to four to six weeks.
In a letter to the Union Health Minister on December 2, Mr Harish Rao said eight to 10 months have elapsed since the second dose of COVID-19 was administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers and people in high-risk groups.
“With passage of time and emergence of new variants, Government of India may consider providing booster dose at least for the above mentioned categories,” Mr Harish Rao has suggested in the letter.
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In the third week of October, Dr Srinivasa Rao had said that vaccines for children in the 12-18 years age group might be launched in two to three weeks. Training in this regard was also initiated. However, there has been no further progress in this direction.
Corporate hospitals had also floated advance registrations to give the jabs to beneficiaries aged between 12 and 18 years. People were told they an update regarding approval of vaccine for children would be sent to them. Now, the hospitals are flooded with calls with people desperately enquiring about jabs for the under-18 group.