Vaccine for children: Over 50% Day 1 slots booked

Chandigarh, January 1

Online registration for children’s vaccination started today with more than 650 beneficiaries making registrations against the 1,200 (online) slots for January 3.

The registration on the Co-WIN portal was made available from January 1 and vaccination is scheduled to start from January 3, for the children in the age group of 15-18 years. According to eligible population projected by the Central Government, there are around 72,000 eligible children in this age band.

The Covaxin vaccine will be used and to avoid any confusion with the ongoing vaccination, separate vaccination centers have been set up for children’s vaccination.

Centres for the drive

Preference is being given to slots booked online and subject to availability of vacant slots, walk-in registrations will also be allowed at the centres set up at the PGI, Sector 12; GMCH, Sector 32; GMSH, Sector 16; Civil Hospital, Mani Majra; Civil Hospital, Sector 22; and Civil Hospital, Sector 45.

Special vaccination centres are also being set up where walk-in registrations will be allowed to the eligible children, whether enrolled or not in any particular school. These centres include Government Senior Secondary School, Dhanas; Government Model High School, RC-Il, Maloya; Government Model Senior Secondary School, MHC, Mani Majra. One vaccination centre exclusively for eligible girls has been set up at Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 20-B.

The prescribed protocol of 30-minute observation after vaccination will be followed for the vaccination of children also. As a precautionary step, ambulances will be provided to each centre and two beds reserved in the Paediatric Care Ward of GMCH-32 to take care of any post-vaccination issues. — TNS