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Personnel deployed in poll-bound states to be eligible for precaution dose: Govt
In a statement, the ministry said, such persons will be considered as frontline workers and would have to obtain the advice of their doctors before deciding to avail the precaution dose against Covid-19.
The Union ministry of health and family welfare said on Tuesday personnel to be deployed in election duty in poll-bound states will be included in the category of frontline workers (FLWs) and will be eligible for the precaution dose of vaccine against the coronavirus disease. Elections are slated to be held in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur.
According to an input by from news agency ANI, the ministry said in a statement such persons would have to obtain the advice of their doctors before deciding to avail the precaution dose that the government is set to administer to healthcare workers and senior citizens with comorbidities, besides frontline workers from January next year.
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The ministry further said all persons aged 60 years and above with comorbidities will not be required to produce or submit any certificate from the doctor at the time of administration of precaution dose.
Starting next year, children in the age-group of 15-18 years will also be administered vaccines against the virus. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week in a televised address to the nation.
In a fresh set of guidelines issued on Monday, the government said the children’s inoculation drive will begin January 3 and the precaution or third dose will be available from January 10.
The government said that for young adults, the vaccination option at the moment would only be Bharat Biotech-made “Covaxin”.
It further said the prioritisation and sequencing of the precaution dose would be based on the completion of nine months or 39 weeks from the date of administration of the second dose.
