Walk-ins and Online Registration for Covid Vaccine to Children

The Central Government said on Tuesday that walk-in and online registration through the CoWIN website will be available for youngsters aged 15 to 18, with doses against COVID-19 starting on January 3.

The Union Health Secretary chaired a workshop via video conference with all states and UTs on Tuesday to review the rollout of vaccination for the age group 15-18 and the precautionary third dose for healthcare workers (HCW), frontline workers (FLW), and those aged 60 and older with co-morbidity.

According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on December 25, 2021, vaccination for the age range of 15–18 would begin on January 3, 2022, with the administration of the precautionary third dosage beginning on January 10.

In the context of the vaccination of children aged 15 to 18, the Union Health Secretary told the states and UTs that only 'Covaxin' would be administered in this age range, and that extra doses of the vaccine would be supplied to them.

According to a Health Ministry announcement, the union government will supply the Covaxin supply to all States and UTs in the coming days.

Where and When To Register

• "People can register on Co-WIN beginning January 1, 2022, or walk-in registration will be available when vaccination begins on January 3.
• Those born in 2007 or before will be eligible for immunisation under this category, according to the announcement.
• It said that for the 15–18 age range, all standard vaccination procedures must be followed, and recipients must wait for half an hour before being checked for AEFI. After 28 days, they will be eligible for the second dose.

Also Read: Teens in India Will Get Only Covaxin Jabs

States have been told that they can designate select Covid Vaccination Centers (CVCs) as specialized CVCs for the 15-18 age range alone, which will be noted on Co-WIN. 

To avoid confusion, states were urged to organise two different vaccination teams at the same CVC, one for 15–18-year-olds and the other for all adults.

Concerning the delivery of the third dose, the Union Health Secretary stated that nine months (39 weeks) must have passed since the administration of the second dose in order for the recipient to be eligible.

He further stated that CoWin would send reminder messages to all people who are eligible for a preventive dosage, which will be recorded in digital vaccination certificates.

States and UTs were also recommended to submit their vaccination dosage requirements through district-level beneficiary calculation utilising Co-WIN. They will publicise sessions where vaccinations will be provided for those aged 15 to 18.