There should be no mixing of vaccines, particularly for 12-14 years age group, and vaccinators and vaccination teams need to be trained to ensure this, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday, a day before the country begins integration of this cohort into the COVID-19 vaccination programme. The government is yet to issue an official statement on mixed-use dose of vaccine for any cohort.
Only those who had attained the age of 12 on the date of vaccination are to be vaccinated; if the beneficiary had registered but not attained the age of 12 on the date of vaccination, the vaccine is not to be given. Those born in 2008, 2009 and 2010, i.e., those who are already above 12 years are now eligible to get the vaccine from March 16, the Ministry stated.
“States are advised to organise dedicated vaccination sessions through earmarked COVID-19 Vaccination Centers for vaccination of 12-14 years’ age-group to avoid mixing with other vaccines,’’ it noted.
Filtering of age
The States/UTs have been informed that at present the age of beneficiary in CoWIN was being filtered based on the year of birth.
“The responsibility for verification of age [12 years] will lie with the vaccinator/verifier at the time of vaccination for the first few days, as the provision for recording the exact date of birth on the CoWIN portal is under process. Once implemented, the system, by default, will not allow registration of beneficiaries who are not of the recommended age,’’ the Ministry explained.
Free of cost vaccination of all beneficiaries of the 12-14 age group would begin from Wednesday, National Vaccination Day, at all government COVID-19 vaccination centers and the vaccine to be administered would be Corbevax, manufactured by Biological E. Limited, Hyderabad. The vaccine is to be given inter-muscular and follows a two-dose regime at the interval of 28 days.
“The vaccine can be accessed through online registration [beginning 9 a.m. on Wednesday) or through onsite walk-in,’’ Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a videoconference meeting on Tuesday with all the States and UTs.
Precaution dose for 60 plus
Additionally, all above 60 years are now eligible for the precaution dose from Wednesday, as the condition of comorbidity for this age group has been removed.
“The Precaution Dose (same as the previous two doses) is to be administered after 9 months (36 weeks) after the date of second vaccination. Detailed instructions and Operational Guidelines have been sent to States and UTs in this regard,’’ said a release issued by the Health Ministry.
Underscoring the slow pace of vaccination among the vulnerable groups, the States have also been asked to ensure that all those above 60 were covered with both doses vaccine. Regular reviews are to be conducted at district and block levels to ensure coverage of eligible beneficiaries, the Ministry highlighted.
The States have also been advised to ensure judicious utilisation of available vaccines. As per earlier guidelines, they can replace those that are due for expiry and also replace them from one district within the State to another to ensure that vaccines are not wasted.
