India would need nearly 250 million more doses to cover new cohorts

Nearly 40 per cent of the 76 million children between the ages of 15 and 18 reside in states where the vaccination pace has been slowest

On Saturday, in an address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will be opening its vaccination for children aged 15 and over. The Prime Minister, while assuring the nation of the readiness to brace for a wave of infections owing to Omicron, announced that the country will be administering booster doses to healthcare and frontline workers and vulnerable population over the age of 60 with underlying health conditions. The “precautionary dose” will be administered from January 10.

On Saturday, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had given emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech for use