Five days later, pace of jabbing kids in 12-15 age group still slow

Data provided by Delhi government’s health department shows that only 3,800 children were vaccinated on the first day of vaccination for this age group on March 16, also the National Vaccination Day.

Five days after Delhi started inoculating children in the age group of 12-15 years, the city has managed to vaccinate only around 25,000 children in this cohort till Monday, with senior government officials attributing the low turnout to the beginning of in-person classes in schools and the dependence of younger children on adults for reaching vaccination centres.

Between March 16 and 18, Delhi inoculated 7,844 children in the 12-15 age group and between March 19 and 21, another 17,603 children were given their first dose.  (Sanchit Khanna/HT photo)

Data provided by Delhi government’s health department shows that only 3,800 children were vaccinated on the first day of vaccination for this age group on March 16, also the National Vaccination Day.

Between March 16 and 18, Delhi inoculated 7,844 children in the 12-15 age group and between March 19 and 21, another 17,603 children were given their first vaccine dose, according to government data.

Senior government officials said the turnout in vaccination centres has been lower than expected even as they expressed hope that the numbers will go up in the coming days.

“We started the vaccination drive for this group as a token activity but we did expect the numbers to pick up subsequently. Probably because of the long Holi weekend, the centres did not get as many children but we are hopeful that the numbers will start picking up now,” said a senior official of the Delhi government’s health department.

According to government officials, Delhi currently has 140 vaccination centres for the 12-15 years cohort.

The numbers will be increased as per requirement, officials said.

“Unlike the 15-18 age group, children in the 12-15 years age group are in classes 6-9. They are young and depend on their parents or some adult in the family to bring them to the vaccination centre. Offices have also opened which means parents might find it more convenient to get their children vaccinated over the weekend,” said a senior official of the Central district.

According to the Delhi government’s submission to the Centre, the Capital has at least 615,000 children in the 12-15 age cohort.

Health department officials, however, said this number could go up in the coming weeks as the administration tracks more children from this age category.

Children aged 12-15 years are being administered only the Corbevax vaccine, manufactured by Biological E Limited. Corbevax is the country’s first indigenously developed receptor binding domain (RBD) protein sub-unit vaccine against Covid-19.

Health experts said many parents also are worried about the safety of their children after taking the vaccine shots.

“We did an analysis after the first and the second wave and when we asked parents whether they are willing to get their kids vaccinated, many expressed their reservations citing safety as a concern. This, along with the fact that Covid-19 did not impact children as severely as adults, has left many wondering why they should risk their children’s safety when the infection is not severe. In this age group, the decision makers are the parents,” said Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the department of community medicine at the Safdarjung Hospital.

Dr PK Sharma, epidemiologist consultant with the New Delhi Municipal Council, said that schools and district health officials must work towards creating awareness among parents to bring children for vaccinations.

“Parent-teacher meetings need to be organised to educate parents about the need to get children vaccinated. If only 5-10% of children are vaccinated then we will not be able to attain herd immunity,” said Dr Sharma.