Around 60 per cent of the children in the age group of 12 to 14 in Bengal have been administered one dose of Corbevax, a Covid vaccine, an official in the state health department said on Sunday.
The drive to inoculate children in the 12-14 age group against Covid started on March 21.
In Bengal, there are around 30 lakh children in that age group.
Till April 1, as many as 17,74,617 were given one dose of Corbevax, around 60 per cent of the target.
According to the Centre’s directive, only Corbevax can be administered to children between 12 and 14 years. Two doses of the vaccine have to be injected 28 days apart.
“There was a relatively low turnout on the first two or three days of the drive. But after that there has been a consistent flow,” the official in the state health department said.
On March 21, the first day of the drive, 88,842 children aged between 12 and 14 years were vaccinated. Government officials said the number gradually increased in the next few days.
“We are satisfied with the progress,” another official in the health department said.
Many city schools that have hosted vaccination camps told The Telegraph that they were happy with the response.
At St James’ School, 250 of the 300 eligible students have been vaccinated. At MP Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, 719 of the 750 eligible students have taken the shot.
“We have 450-odd students who are eligible and because the first round of vaccination was held during the term break, many parents who were travelling showed interest in getting their children vaccinated on a second date,” said Amita Prasad, director of Indus Valley World School.
Some doctors said there should be more data about efficacy and safety of the vaccine. “There is insufficient data in the public domain about the efficacy and safety of Corbevax,” said infectious diseases expert Chandramouli Bhattacharya.