Eligible teens should register on Cowin for vax: Harish Rao

HYDERABAD: All those in the 15 to 18 years of age group in Telangana, now eligible to get Covid vaccinations and living in areas that fall under municipal corporations, must get themselves registered on the Cowin portal to get their Covid vaccine shots. Others living in non-municipal corporation limits can walk into their nearest government vaccination Centre and get vaccinated. As per the directions from the Centre, the 15 to 18-year-olds will be given only Covaxin shots.

Health minister T. Harish Rao told reporters on Tuesday that the Cowin portal would be open from January 1 for eligible youngsters to get their shots. This decision was taken to ensure there was no crowding or rush at vaccination centres in the more populated municipal corporation limits, he said.

As far as eligibility to shots for those in the age group is concerned, he said those seeking to get vaccinated in this age group must have been born in 2007, or earlier. “As per our estimates, there are some 2,27,800 youngsters in this age group,” he said.

With respect to booster doses for those over 60 years, estimated to be  around 4,16,000   in the state, Harish Rao said the state wanted to provide additional vaccinations to all in this age band. “We are writing to the Centre to allow us to do this and not insist on conditions such as only those who have co-morbidities will be eligible to get the additional shots,” he said.

The minister also said in addition to these two age groups, the state government was also geared up to provide booster shots to around 6,34,000 healthcare and frontline workers. Booster shots for those above 60 years, and for frontline, health workers and others eligible in this category would begin on January 10, he said.