Chennai
The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday said it has initiated the preparatory work to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 15 to 18 years.
The statement comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that COVID-19 vaccination for those in the age group of 15-18 years will start from January 3, 2022.
Senior officials at the health department said the vaccination for these children will commence on January 3 and they will be administered at schools and also by holding special camps. The registration process will be similar to that of adults’ and further preparations are underway for the same. A total of 33.20 lakh children are eligible for the jab.
Meanwhile, 17.31 lakh doses of COVID vaccine were administered on Sunday during the 16th mega vaccination drive, including 5.17 lakh first doses. So far, 2.82 crore doses have been administered in 15 mega drives conducted in the State.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian, who inaugurated a drive in Guindy, said 8.14 crore doses have been administered in the State so far. “Till now, 84.87 per cent of the total population has been vaccinated with the first dose and 55.85 per cent are completely inoculated. Tamil Nadu ranks first among the states in the vaccination of pregnant women. There are about 80 lakh doses in stock,” the Minister said.
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