Today begins the COVID-19 vaccination for 15-18 age group

The vaccination push for beneficiaries in the age bracket of 15-18 years will commence today (January 3, 2022) across the country in order to combat the potential third wave of COVID-19 and Omicron surge.

Those born in 2007 or before will be eligible for vaccination, and only Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' would be administered in this population category, according to the Union Health Ministry.

Through January 1, qualified beneficiaries were able to register on the Co-WIN portal, and they can now register in person as well.

Beneficiaries must wait for half an hour after receiving the coronavirus vaccine before being evaluated for adverse events (AEFI).

After 28 days, they will be eligible for the second dose.

How do I schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment?

• Cowin.gov.in is the official CoWIN website.
• Choose one of the three choices for logging in. – 1. Arogya Setu account, 2. Umang account, or 3. Mobile Number and OTP
• After registering, schedule an appointment by selecting a date and time that is convenient for you.
• Choose a vaccination centre from the available list.
• Finish your appointment.

On Sunday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya instructed states and union territories to take all necessary steps, including establishing separate vaccination centres, to prevent vaccines from being mixed up during the delivery of shots to people aged 15 to 18.

Mandaviya also had an online discussion with health ministers, principal secretaries, and additional chief secretaries for the health of states and union territories to ensure smooth implementation of the guidelines (UTs).

According to a health ministry statement, he encouraged them to guarantee that vaccinators and vaccination team members are properly trained for the inoculation exercise for individuals aged 15 to 18, as well as the designation of specialised vaccination session sites for this set of beneficiaries.

"To avoid mixing-up of vaccines during administration, separate Covid vaccination centres (CVCs), separate session sites, separate queue (if at same session where adult vaccination is ongoing) and separate vaccination team (if at same session site) are to be strived for," Mandaviya said.