Covid-19 pandemic: Slow start to teenage vaccination, 4 million jabbed

Sixteen-year-old Nima Marium’s family in Chennai was in double mind on whether she should take the Covid19 vaccine as the innoculation drive for teenagers took off on Monday. It’s been a long wait for those below 18 years after the adult vaccination started early last year. Even so, Nima’s father John Jacob decided to wait a bit more, mainly for safety reasons. “We’ll wait for a few days …  If the government distributes it through schools, will definitely prefer that," he said.

The government opened up vaccination for those between 15 and 18 years starting Monday with only Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin permitted for this category. By end of the day, 4 million had been jabbed across the country, making it a lukewarm first-day show. The total number eligible in this age bracket is around 75 million. Walk-ins were not popular either. The total number who registered was pegged at almost 5 million. 

Some students put off their date with vaccine to another day though many bravehearts went ahead and took the jab.      

"I am not apprehensive and, in fact, wish to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible but some of my classmates are a bit wary. Hopefully, they might get convinced soon as I think this is the right move," said Maurya Shah, a student at MK School in Ahmedabad. 

While NTAGI (National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) chief NK Arora said that India is witnessing the third wave of infections, concerns over shelf life extension of Covaxin kept social media buzzing through the day.

The Health Ministry had to step in to state that shelf life of vaccines is extended by the national regulator based on comprehensive analysis and examination of stability study data furnished by vaccine manufacturers.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the vaccination site at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. He said in a tweet, “I urge my young friends to get vaccinated at the earliest and further strengthen the world’s largest vaccination drive.”  

Hospitals expect the pace to pick up in the coming days. “It started on a good note today. There were no adverse reactions and as people return from their new year holidays, the footfall will also increase,” Bishnu Panigrahi, Group Head, Medical Strategy and Operations, Fortis Healthcare, said.

Health workers claimed that there was palpable excitement among students as they lined up for the jab. 

Mumbai is targeting to inoculate over 900,000 teenagers in the city with a single dose in 28 days.  Mumbai’s civic body BMC is providing vaccines to nine centers across the city.

At the Bandra Kurla Complex Covid19 center, state environment minister Aditya Thackeray was scheduled to be present, but he attended the event virtually to minimise crowding.

"We have created separate entry and exit paths and have separate cubicles for vaccination of the 15-17 age group. We have also kept books on motivational subjects which the teenagers can read after getting their dose," said Rajesh Dere, dean of BKC Covid Center.

There was disappointment as well. At two of the government centers in Medavakkam and Kelambakkam, Chennai, that Business Standard visited on Monday, vaccination for teenagers was yet to start. Giridharan, a student of Avichi Higher Secondary School, who came to enquire about the vaccines,  was told it would take a couple of more days to start.

"We are allowing vaccination for kids through camps at schools and also through existing vaccination centers. If at all there are any glitches, we will be addressing it in a day or two," said TN health secretary J Radhakrishnan.

In neighbouring Kerala, where 1.54 million children were eligible to get the first dose, there was comparatively more interest among the age group with several students not getting their eligible vaccines.

West Bengal state family welfare officer Ashim Das Malakar, however, said, “the response has been good.”

About 4.8 million teens are eligible for the vaccine in West Bengal and 6 million Covaxin doses are available. Around 338 hospitals will administer the vaccines for teens in the state. Schools will be closed for the academic session but the vaccination programme will continue, said Ajay Chakraborty, West Bengal’s Director Health Services.

Private schools in Kolkata are also gearing up to vaccinate their students. For instance, South Point High School has organized a vaccination camp in collaboration with Apollo Clinic from January 4 to January 8. Around 3,000 students are eligible to receive the vaccine.

Uttar Pradesh, which tops the India tally among states by administering 200 million Covid vaccine doses, claimed enough vaccine stock had been provided to hospitals. About 2,150 vaccination booths, including 39 in Lucknow, have been set up across 75 districts for vaccinating teenagers.

(With inputs from Sohini Das, Ruchika Chitravanshi, Shine Jacob, Ishita Ayan Dutt, Vinay Umarji, Virendra Singh Rawat & Aneesh Phadnis)