Covid-19: 82% adolescents vaccinated with first dose in Delhi

With schools gearing up to reopen for classes 9 to 12 from Monday, authorities have inoculated 82 per cent adolescents in Delhi with the first dose since the exercise to vaccinate them against coronavirus commenced from January 3.

According to official data, 8.33 lakh adolescents have received the first dose and 0.39 lakh have been jabbed with the second dose.

Delhi has around 10.14 lakh beneficiaries in the 15-18 age group.

According to officials, 95 per cent of government school students have been vaccinated, while 73 per cent students of aided school students have received at least one dose. Sixty-two per cent private school students have been inoculated with at least one dose.

The maximum number of adolescents have been inoculated with the first dose in southwest district at 1,12,521 followed by northwest at 10,87,99 and west at 84,958.

The least number of adolescents have been inoculated with first dose in New Delhi at 49,631.

The maximum number of adolescents have received the second dose in northeast Delhi followed by southwest district at 5,716.

The government has achieved 109 per cent inoculation with first dose, while 84 per cent inoculation has been achieved for second dose.

Covaxin is the only vaccine option for the 15 to 18 year age group, according to the Union Health Ministry guidelines on December 27. In January, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said 85 per cent of Delhi government school students have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

He, however, remarked that the inoculation drive in private schools was going on at a snail’s pace.