36 lakh schoolchildren in 15-18 age group in MP to be covered from Mon

Bhopal, January 1

The vaccination against COVID-19 of 36 lakh schoolchildren in the 15-18 age group in Madhya Pradesh will begin from Monday, with plans afoot to administer doses to 12 lakh beneficiaries in this segment on the first day, a senior health official said.

There are 36 lakh registered schoolchildren in the 15-18 age group in the state and the vaccination drive for them will start from January 3, Madhya Pradesh Immunisation Officer Dr Santosh Shukla told PTI on Saturday.

“We have plans to administer doses to 12 lakh children on Monday. The state had earlier set a record of 30 lakh doses in a single day. However, with children we can’t be hasty. After covering schoolchildren, we will target school dropouts,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Shukla said 98 per cent of eligible beneficiaries, or 5.22 crore out of 5.49 crore, have got the second dose of the vaccine in the state. PTI