BENGALURU: Karnataka will start vaccinating children, aged 12-14 years, in all schools with the Corbevax vaccine from Friday. Those born on or before March 28, 2010, will be eligible for the vaccination. The state government, which launched the drive from March 16, managed to jab only 6.3 lakh children of this age group compared to its target of 20 lakh.
“The Covid vaccination drive for the age group of 12-14 years is taking place at a slow pace. To accelerate it, the state government has decided to start vaccination in all schools,” said Health Minister K Sudhakar on Tuesday. A circular issued by the government on Tuesday said parent-teacher meetings will be conducted prior to the vaccination to create awareness about the benefits of Corbevax.
Meanwhile, the Health Department has been directed to conduct micro-planning ahead of the drive, to inform eligible children about the date of their vaccination in advance. The drive will be taken up by both the health and education departments jointly. To ensure Covid vaccination for out-of-school children, the government has directed the Education Department to provide details to the Health and Family Welfare Department.
Vaccination centres in schools will be equipped with three rooms, including an observation room. Wearing masks, using sanitisers and following Covid-appropriate behaviour is mandatory. For registration, the phone number of parents should be used and, in case the parents do not possess mobile phones, the headmaster’s phone number should be used, the circular said.
The identity card issued by the school or the Aadhaar card should be used as photo ID proof during the drive. The registration will be done online. In case a child is suffering from comorbidities, parental consent is mandatory prior to vaccination. Such children should be vaccinated only in government healthcare facilities. The government has also directed that members of School Development and Monitoring Committees and gram panchayats should be called for a meeting to ensure vaccination for out-of-school children.