NEW DELHI: The vaccination programme for children in 12-14 age group gets underway on Wednesday. Delhi government officials in the afternoon on Tuesday worked to pull out all stops to ensure a smooth vaccination process after receiving intimation from the Centre.
The capital has received 6,31,400 Corbevax vaccines till Tuesday which has been approved for the 12-14 year age group. The Covid-19 vaccine has been manufactured by Biological E Limited, a company based in Hyderabad. The second dose will be given after a period of 28 days. Incidentally, children born on or before March 15, 2010, will be given the dose on Wednesday, said an official.
Officials sources said the list of Covid vaccination centres (CVCs) have also been zeroed down and a list has been compiled regarding the same. A total of 140 centres have been assigned to inoculate the children, officials said. These centres include government hospitals, dispensaries, schools, etc.
The maximum number of CVCs is in the northeast district with a total of 63 centres. “We have given training to healthcare workers as per the Centre’s instructions,” said an official. Online registrations will start later and as for now, walk-in vaccinations are being conducted.
According to Delhi government sources, there will be dedicated outreach from the Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) for all private schools which have placed requests with the District Inspector of Schools. (DIOs). For government schools, the state will hold similar sessions in consultation with the Director of Education and DDEs of various districts
Health officials said that the target would be lesser as the order from Centre came late in the afternoon and it took time for the health authorities to make arrangements.“On Wednesday, it is going to be a token start and although the exact target is not known, 6 to 7 lakh children will be vaccinated at the start which will keep on increasing progressively,” said an official on the condition of anonymity. The official said the pace will pick up only after the ongoing exams, and the Holi celebration.