BENGALURU: With the Union health ministry on Monday announcing that vaccination for children aged 12-14 years will start from March 16, the state health department is awaiting the official order and supplies of vaccine. Children in this age bracket will be administered Corbevax, manufactured by Biological E. Limited, Hyderabad, a ministry circular said. However, teenagers in the 14-18 age group were administered Covaxin.
BBMP and health department officials said Corbevax is not available as yet, and vaccination can be started only when sufficient stocks are available for at least 50 per cent of the population. “All vaccine stocks are supplied by the Central and state governments. Once the government order is issued and supply schedule is given, the next course of action be decided,” Health Commissioner D Randeep told TNIE.
There are around 5 lakh children aged 12-14 in Bengaluru, and 31 lakh across the state, who need to be administered the vaccine. Health officials, doctors and parents are worried about handling the vaccine, as they have so far handled side-effects and concerns pertaining only to Covishield and Covaxin.
“Though it is an injection and trials have been done, the results and product details have not been shared with us,” an official said. The timing of the announcement is also a matter of concern as final examinations have started, or are about to start, in many schools, following which summer vacations will start. So getting the beneficiaries on one platform and meeting targets will become a challenge, the official admitted.