Guwahati, Jan 3: Senior citizens and frontline workers in Assam will be inoculated with the “precautionary” third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from January 10.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed on Monday that the state would start rolling out the booster dose for the frontline workers from January 10.
“Similarly, all senior citizens having co-morbidity and who have completed nine months from their second dose, will also get the third dose from January 10,” Sarma said after inaugurating the COVID-19 vaccination campaign for the 15-18 years age category in Duliajan.
Altogether 405 eligible school students would be inoculated in the camp organised at Oil India HS School at Duliajan in Dibrugarh district. The camp is being organised by the Dibrugarh district administration and District Health Society, Dibrugarh in association with Oil India Limited.
“We are also planning to complete both doses of vaccination for the 15-18 year age group within a short period with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin so that they can confidently appear in their upcoming final exams” he said.
It may be noted that the country began inoculation of the 15-18 year age group from Monday amidst the spread of the Omicron variant and the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Speaking at the programme, chief minister Sarma said the COVID vaccination for the specific teenage group marks another important milestone in the long battle against the dreaded virus while remarking that the level of infection and fatality among the fully vaccinated people is less.
“Therefore, the state government is striving towards bringing all eligible people in the state under the ambit of vaccination,” the chief minister said.
Till date, 3, 76, 80,000 people have been inoculated in Assam, and among them, 2,17,36,397 have received the first dose of the COVID vaccine.
“One lakh people are yet to get the first dose of vaccine in the state and out of them, 70,000 are from Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts alone,” he informed.