Hyderabad: Over 24,000 children in the 15 to 18 age group were administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Telangana on the first day of the vaccination drive on Monday.
By 8:00 pm on January 3, over 1 per cent or 24,240, of the total 18, 41,000 eligible beneficiaries between the ages of 15 and 18 received their first jab of the COVID-19 vaccination at government and private healthcare centres.
The Telangana government aims to vaccinate all the 18 lakh children in the age group of 15 to 18 years over the next two months across 1,040 government COVID-19 vaccine centres.
As per the state health department, around 1,895 children received the first shot in Hyderabad city, with another 1,825 children receiving their first jab of the vaccine in the Rangareddy district followed by 2,408 children in Nizamabad and 2,294 children in Yadadri and Bhongir districts
Telangana state health minister Harish Rao inaugurated the immunisation program at the Banjara Hills urban primary healthcare centre (UPHC) on January 3. “I encourage children to trust the vaccine and not be scared of minor side effects such as fever or bodily soreness. All of us adults have previously had the vaccination, and it is safe,” Harish Rao said.
To reduce crowds at COVID vaccination centres, especially in regions under GHMC and the other 12 municipal corporations in Telangana, the health department has made it obligatory for beneficiaries to reserve a slot on the CoWIN website before showing up for the jab at the vaccination centre.
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