• Booster dose for 18-plus from tomorrow
• Private Hospitals in Mysuru purchase stocks; await Government directive

Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru has achieved 61.89 percent vaccination for children in the 12-14 age group as a precaution against the COVID pandemic. The vaccination for the 12-14 age group began on Mar. 16 and Corbevax vaccine was administered. The gap between the first and second dose is 28 days.

In Mysuru district, 92,907 children aged between 12 and 14 years are eligible for the vaccination. Health workers are visiting schools and are administering the first dose. Those born in 2008, 2009 and 2010 — those who are already above 12 years of age — are eligible.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, District Health Officer Dr. K.H. Prasad said that the response from the children to vaccination was overwhelming and they are enthusiastically taking the jabs. “We have administered vaccines to 57,498 children of the target of 92,907 (as on Apr. 8) and we will achieve the 100 percent target within a week or so,” he said.

There are 1,47,279 beneficiaries in the age group of 15 to 18 and of them, 1,36,412 have been jabbed, achieving a target of 92.62 percent. 1,07,724 children have been given the second dose in the same age group achieving a   target of 73.14 percent.

In Mysuru district, 26,59,806 first dose — 99.31 percent — has been administered. The district has achieved 96.71 percent progress in the second dose with a coverage of 25,00,223 beneficiaries. In all, 51,60,029 beneficiaries have received the first and second dose, achieving a target of 98.03 percent.

Of the target population of 1,26,643 adults to receive the booster dose, 73,767 have already been administered vaccines, achieving a target of 58.25 percent. In total, 52,33,796 doses of vaccines have been administered in the district since the launch of the vaccination in January 2021.

Booster dose from tomorrow

The Union Health Ministry yesterday announced that the precautionary or third dose of COVID-19 vaccine would be made available to the 18+ population at private vaccination  centres. It would be the same as the previous doses.

The administration of this dose would begin on April 10 (tomorrow). All those who have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose would be eligible, it stated. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya termed the extension of the vaccination drive an “extra layer of safety”.

Mysuru DHO Dr. Prasad said that many private hospitals have adopted a wait-and-watch policy for the booster vaccination from tomorrow. “We have not got any directive from the Centre regarding the booster vaccination process. Some private hospitals have already stocked up the vials and are just waiting for the Government directive,” he clarified. 

HOW MUCH BOOSTER DOSE WILL COST

Agency reports today said that the Serum Institute of India has announced that end-users will have to pay Rs. 600 for a Covishield booster dose and the hospitals will get it at a discounted price. Plus there will be vaccine administration charges that might differ from hospital to hospital.

The Centre had capped the administration charges for private vaccination centres at Rs. 150 per dose in June last year. The Government instructed private vaccination centres not to charge more than Rs. 780 for Covishield, Rs. 1,410 for Covaxin and Rs. 1,145 for Sputnik V including taxes and administration charges.

Excluding GST, Covaxin costs Rs. 1,200 per dose and Sputnik V is priced at Rs. 948 per dose. Biological E has said it would price Corbevax at Rs. 800 per dose (excluding taxes). Covovax (Novavax vaccine) is priced at Rs. 900 (excluding taxes) in the private market.