HomeNewsIndiaCOVID-19 | Over 1.5 crore adolescents in 15-18 years group fully vaccinated: Mandaviya

COVID-19 | Over 1.5 crore adolescents in 15-18 years group fully vaccinated: Mandaviya

Over 70 percent of beneficiaries in the same age group have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to Union Health Ministry data.

February 14, 2022 / 20:10 IST
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COVID-19 vaccination for children in the 15 to 18 age category began on January 3.  (Image: ANI)
COVID-19 vaccination for children in the 15 to 18 age category began on January 3. (Image: ANI)

Over 1.5 crore adolescents in the 15-18 years age group nationwide are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on February 14.

"Young India is fighting the pandemic with full vigour. Over 1.5 crore youngsters between the 15-18 age group are fully vaccinated now," the minister tweeted.

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Over 70 percent of beneficiaries in the same age group have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to Union Health Ministry data. According to the Registrar General of India (RGI), the estimated population of beneficiaries in the age group of 15-18 years is 7.4 crores for 2021-22.

Vaccination of children in the age group of 15-18 years began from January 3, 2022, across the country.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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first published: Feb 14, 2022 08:10 pm

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