Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is targeting to vaccinate over 3,000 children between 15 and 18 years on Monday, when Covid vaccination for the age group starts across the country.
“Though the state government has announced that all schools will remain closed from Monday, the vaccination programme will go ahead,” said a state government official.
The civic body will organise vaccination camps in 16 schools in the city, one in each borough. The target is to vaccinate 200 students in each school every day.
Eligible teenagers can also turn up at the 37 KMC-run vaccination centres from where Covaxin is administered and all medical colleges for the jab.
The Centre has only allowed Covaxin to be administered to the 15-18 age group.
A waiting area for teenagers at Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School. Picture by Gautam Bose
In the districts, vaccination camps for teenagers will be held in one school in each block and municipal area. The jabs will also be administered at 338 hospitals.
“In Kolkata, vaccination camps will be held in 16 schools, one in each borough, on Monday. Two vaccinators will be sent to give the jabs to 200 students in each school each day. The routine will be followed on all days,” said an official in the KMC health department.
“We are prepared to vaccinate 3,200 students in the 16 schools every day.”
At the schools where more than 200 students have to be vaccinated, the camp will be held for more than one day.
Bagbazar Multipurpose Government School for Girls, one of the 16 schools, has informed the KMC that more than 550 students were eligible for the jab. The camp there will be held for two or more days.
Some of the other schools where vaccination camps will be held on Monday include Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School, Bethune Collegiate School and Jagabandhu Institution.
“There are individuals aged between 15 and 18 who have dropped out. They can get themselves vaccinated at the 37 health centres run by the KMC that are delivering Covaxin or the medical colleges in the city. School students, too, will get the jab at the health centres and the medical colleges,” said the KMC official.
Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation has earmarked a school each in Salt Lake, Rajarhat and Kestopur for the drive.
In New Town, the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) had earmarked at least three schools for the drive.
But following the state government’s announcement on Sunday that schools and colleges will remain closed from Monday because of a fresh rise in Covid cases, NKDA officials decided that eligible teenagers will be administered the shot from the vaccine centre behind Pride Hotel, near the New Town bus terminus.
