Covid-19 vaccines for teenagers aged between 15 years and 18 years will be available from January 3, 2022, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, announced yesterday. The Indian government has approved two vaccines for administering to teenagers between 15 and 18 years, according to various news reports.
If you’re a teenager aged between 15 and 18 years or the parent of one, continue reading. In this article, we will give you all available details about where to get the Covid-19 jabs for teenagers. Also, you can find information related to Covid-19 Vaccines for Children Below 12 Years in India.
Registration for Covid-19 Vaccines for Teenager
Children between 15 and 18 can register for COVID-19 vaccines on the CoWIN app from January 1 using their school ID cards, the government said Monday morning.
News reports, quoting CoWIN chief Dr. RS Sharma told news agency ANI an additional slot had been created on www.cowin.gov.in for students to use their school ID cards and register for the Covid-19 jab online.
He said, the facility to use school ID cards was given since many students might not have the Aadhar card, PAN card, passport or other ID proof issued by the government.
The move comes in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement late last week that children in the 15-18 age group could get their first round of Covid vaccines from January 3.
Types of Vaccines for Teenagers in India
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has initially approved two Covid-19 vaccines for teenagers aged between 15 years and 18 years. These include Covaxin, made by Bharat Biotech and the DNA based Covid-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D, made in India by Zydus-Cadilla.
A third vaccine, Covavax, which will be made by the Serum Institute of India has also been approved for use on teenagers and kids. However, Adar Poonawala, CEO of SII said that it would take about six months for Covavax, a vaccine developed by Moderna, to be available in India since production worldwide has been slower than expected.
Children in India will be vaccinated with one of two shots – either Bharat Biotech’s double-dose Covaxin or Zydus Cadila’s three-dose ZyCoV-D. Both these vaccines have been cleared for kids over 12 by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), for emergency use.
The drug controller has cleared Serum Institute’s Novavax for trials on kids between seven and 11 years of age, and Biological E’s Corbevax has been cleared for trials on children over five, according to news reports.
Two more Covid-19 vaccines, Novavax and Corbevax have not yet been cleared for use as yet.
Number of Teenagers to Get Covid-19 Vaccines in India
According to official estimates, about 100 million teenagers in the age group of 15 and 18 years will be eligible for the Covid-19 shots once the vaccination drive begins on January 3, 2022.
By Christmas day 2021, 120. 40 million people over the age of 60 had received their first dose of vaccine of which and 90.21 million were fully vaccinated, according to the cowin.gov.in website.
Official data also showed that 10.03 million healthcare workers had received their first dose, and 9.6 million were fully vaccinated. Furthermore, 10.83 million frontline workers had received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 10.68 million were fully vaccinated.
Cost of Covid-19 Vaccines for Teenagers
The Indian government is yet to announce whether the Covid-19 vaccines for teenagers between 15 years and 18 years of age will be given free or there will be a nominal charge for the jabs.
According to cowin.gov.in, adults who wish to take the Covaxin jab have to pay Rs.1,410 at private hospitals. All government run vaccination centers are administering the Covishield vaccine from Serum Institute of India free of cost.
Covaxin has also been approved by the DCGI for use on teenagers. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether these jabs will be available free or given at a cost to teenagers.
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Locations for Covid-19 Vaccines for Teenagers
The Indian government is expected to announce the locations for Covid-19 vaccinations for teenagers in coming days, before January 3, 2022, when the drive begins. According to sources, the same vaccination centers where adults could get the jabs would be used for vaccinating teenagers.
Sources pointed out that the infrastructure to provide Covid-19 jabs for teenagers already exists and there would be no need to set up separate facilities. The same centers and hospitals where adults could get vaccination could be effectively used for vaccinating teenagers, they pointed out.
You can check cowin.gov.in for more details such as registration, cost and locations on or before January 3, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Indian government is yet to announce Covid-19 vaccines for kids between two years and 14 yeas of age. Initial news reports in the media suggested that vaccinating children against Covid-19 could begin by the first quarter of 2022, since the Covovax vaccine from Moderna and Serum Institute of India is expected to be used in the drive.
Safety of Vaccines for Teenagers
News reports state that all the three vaccines for teenagers in India have been tested and approved by the DCGI for emergency use. Therefore, you can take these vaccines safely and protect yourself against the dreaded Covid-19 infection.
Reports from foreign countries suggest that teenagers might experience minor side effects of the vaccines in some cases. These include mild fever and body ache. However, these symptoms generally vanish within 48 hours after taking the dose.
Some teenagers might not experience any side effects of the vaccine. This doesn’t mean that the vaccine is ineffective. Lack of symptoms can occur due to various reasons such as stronger immunity to Covid-19, reports state.
Common Question Related to Vaccines for 15- to 18-Year-Olds in India
Who will conduct the vaccination drive for teenagers of 15 to 18 years of age?
Initial reports suggest that the Indian government will roll out the vaccination drive for teenagers between 15 to 18 years of age. This is because the government has the necessary infrastructure to monitor the vaccination drive, as it was done in the case of adults.
How safe are the vaccines for teenagers?
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved all the three vaccines- Covovax, Covaxin and ZyCov-D for emergency use for teenagers to protect them against Covid-19 infections. The DCGI took this decision after initial tests proved that these vaccines are safe for teenagers and provide at least 80 percent protection against Covid-19 and its various strains. Therefore, you can take these vaccines safely.
Will I have to pay for the Covid-19 vaccines for teenagers?
As of now, there is no news about whether the Covid-19 vaccines for teenagers will be given free or there would be some charges for the same. This announcement is expected to be made by the Indian government before January 3, 2022.
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