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Guwahati, March 16 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma appealed to children in the age group of 12 to 14 years to take Covid vaccine doses as the inoculation drive for them started on Wednesday.
He also assured parents of the eligible beneficiaries that Corbevax vaccine, which is being used for children in the 12-14 years age group, is safe.
Launching the vaccination programme at a school here, Sarma said, "Today is a decisive day in our fight against the virus and I appeal to all students and their parents to ensure that they take the vaccine."
"I want to assure all parents that this vaccine is completely safe for their children, but it should not be taken on an empty stomach," he said.
The state government has set a target to cover 13 lakh children in the 12-14 years age category for this Covid vaccination drive, an official said.
The chief minister urged all people above 60 years of age to take the precautionary jab.
The precautionary dose can be taken only after nine months or 36 weeks from the date of administration of the second shot and should be with the same vaccine with which the primary inoculation was done.
Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking several initiatives to ensure safety of peoples' lives and also praised scientists for working tirelessly to find ways to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The state health and family welfare department has directed deputy commissioners of all districts to make necessary arrangements for the vaccination of children between 12 and 14 years of age.
The vaccine will be administered to only those children who have attained the age of 12 years on the date of immunisation, and the vaccinators and verifiers will be responsible to ensure that any beneficiary aged less than 12 years on the date of inoculation is not inoculated, according to an order issued by the health and family welfare department's Principal Secretary Anurag Goyal.
The inoculation programme for children will be carried out only in government Covid immunisation centres.
Two doses of Corbevax will be given at an interval of 28 days.
The management and reporting of Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFls) will be as per existing guidelines and Anaphylaxis kits must be available with each vaccination team, the official said.