Niti Aayog member for health, Dr. VK Paul on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, said that based on the available evidence, there is no need to consider Covid-19 vaccination in children. He said, “As of now, there is no reason to consider vaccination in children based on the available evidence.”

The NITI Aayog also mentioned that permission for trials was only given for individuals above the age of 18 years.

Dr Paul’s remarks come after a mutated coronavirus strain emerged in the UK. He also added that the virus will have no impact on the emerging vaccines in India. 

The Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan had earlier declared that vaccination will be provided to front line health workers in the first stage, police personnel and sanitation workers in the second stage, those above 50 years of age in the third, and those with comorbidities in the fourth stage. States have been also asked to provide database of people in these four categories to create a vaccination roadmap.

Meanwhile, staff and management of several schools in Karnataka gathered a protest on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park to highlight their grim financial situation. More than 6,500 teaching, non-teaching staffs as well as school managements took part in the protests. They had demanded vaccination on priority, medical insurance as well as food kits. 

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Karnataka: Schools demand vaccination on priority, food kits