India begins vaccinating minors over 15 amid as coronavirus cases rise
New Delhi, Jan 3 (EFE).- Health authorities in India began Monday vaccinating minors above the age of 15 against the coronavirus, while the country recorded its highest daily infections in three months with a rapid surge in the number of cases of the omicron variant.
Nearly 100,000 people between 15 and 18 years have registered to receive the first dose of Covaxin shot, produced by the Indian laboratory Bharat Biotech, according to data from the official Cowin platform, created by the Indian authorities for the management of its vaccination drive.
On Dec.25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the inclusion of those over 15 years of age in the country’s vaccination campaign, apart from booster doses for those over 60 and at risk, which will begin next week.
These measures come as India witnesses a rapid surge in the omicron variant, with a sharp increase in daily infections.
The health ministry reported Monday 33,750 infections in the last 24 hours, compared to just over 6,500 cases detected a week ago, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 34.9 million since the start of the pandemic.
The country also recorded 123 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 481,893 fatalities.
The authorities have also detected a total 1,700 cases of the omicron variant since the first case was recorded on Dec.2.
In May last year, India became the global epicenter of the coronavirus, recording more than 400,000 infections and 4,000 deaths regularly, leading to a partial collapse of the health sector with an acute shortage of oxygen and intensive care beds.
Concerned over the rapid increase in cases, the authorities have reimposed restrictions and curfews in many regions such as New Delhi, where a night curfew has been declared for a week. EFE
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