India began its vaccination campaign for children aged between 12 and 14 on Wednesday, expanding the nationwide inoculation drive. All individuals above the age of 60 will also be eligible to get their precautionary dose against COVID as authorities removed the co-morbidity requirement.

Corbevax, a coronavirus vaccine manufactured by Hyderabad-based Biological Evans, will be used for those between ages 12 and 14. The vaccine will also be available across all vaccination centers across India where people can get inoculated for free, media reports suggest.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of Twitter posts, urged unvaccinated people to get their vaccine shot. 

“Today is an important day in India’s efforts to vaccinate our citizens. Now onwards, youngsters in the 12-14 age group are eligible for vaccines & all those above 60 are eligible for precaution doses. I urge people in these age groups to get vaccinated”, Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet.

The new vaccine slab opens up on the day India recorded 2,876 fresh cases of COVID-19 and added 98 deaths to its tally, which now stands at 5,16,072, according to the data released by the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday.

What are the government issued guidelines?

Those born in 2010 or earlier will be to register themselves on the CoWin app and find a vaccination centre. As many as 4.7 crore children in India are aged between 12 and 13 as of March 1, 2022, according to the news reports citing the guidelines.

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Individuals above the age of 60, who are now eligible for the precautionary dose of COVID-19, can get their shot nine months after the second dose was administered. No mix and match of vaccines is allowed while getting the precautionary dose, the guidelines said.

Beneficiaries can get their vaccines by booking a slot on the CoWin application. Appointments for those aged between 12 and 14 can either be booked online or on-site.