March 15, 2010 is cut-off birthdate for vax eligibility of 12-14-year-olds

Those who are born on or before March 15, 2010, would be eligible for Covid-19 shots in the 12-14 years age group, the Union Health Ministry has informed the states, asking them to ensure that nobody below 12 years gets the jab.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to the Chief Secretaries advising them to make sure only those who have attained the age of 12 years on the date of vaccination are vaccinated against Covid-19. The vaccine of choice, Corbevax, has been approved for use in the 12-18 years age group.

If the beneficiary is registered but has not attained the requisite age on the date of vaccination, the shots would not be given. The Co-WIN registration for the 12-14 age group would begin on Wednesday at 9 am.

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The responsibility for verification of age (12 years) will lie with the vaccinator at the time of vaccination for the first few days as the provision for recording the exact date of birth in the Co-WIN portal is under process.

Once implemented, the system, by default, will not allow the registration of beneficiaries who are not of the recommended age.

N K Arora who heads the National Technical Advisory Body on Immunisation (NTAGI) said the technical advisory body in December recommended Covid-19 vaccination for kids with comorbidity as they carried 5-6 times higher chances of developing a serious illness. Nearly 10-15 per cent of Indian children are estimated to have some kind of comorbidity.

The government, Arora said, decided to vaccinate all children above 12 years old because of the practical difficulties involved in identifying and segregating the comorbid kids for the purpose of vaccination.

Furthermore, the vaccination would boost the confidence of parents who would send their wards to schools after a few weeks when the new academic session would begin, he said.

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The health ministry guideline says since the 12-14 years group constitutes school-going children, complementary strategies may be formulated to ensure vaccination of all eligible beneficiaries irrespective of whether they are enrolled in government schools, private schools and non-formal schools like madrasas.

Flagging the slow pace of vaccination among the vulnerable groups, Bhushan asked the states to ensure that all those above 60 years are covered with both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Regular reviews are to be conducted at district & block levels to ensure coverage of eligible beneficiaries.

To avoid vaccine wastage, the states have been told to replace new stocks with those that are closer to expiry and available in another district in the same state. Adequate stocks of all the three vaccines were available with the states, the ministry said.

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