New Delhi:

Children between 15 and 18 can register for COVID-19 vaccines on the CoWIN app from January 1 using their school ID cards, the government said Monday morning.

CoWIN chief Dr RS Sharma told news agency ANI an additional slot had been created on the online platform so students could use their ID cards to register for the shots. This is because some may not have Aadhaar or other required ID cards, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, had said children in the 15-18 age group could get their first round of Covid vaccines from January 3.

The Prime Minister, who also announced “precaution” or booster shots for frontline and healthcare workers, as well as those over 60, said vaccinating kids – something other countries have already done – would help schools and students return to normal.

Children in India will be vaccinated with one of two shots – either Bharat Biotech’s double-dose Covaxin or Zydus Cadila’s three-dose ZyCoV-D.

A third possible vaccine is Serum Institute’s Novavax, which the national drug controller has cleared trials for kids between seven and 11 years of age. A fourth is Biological E’s Corbevax, which has been cleared to conduct advanced trials on children above five.

Dr NK Arora, chief of India’s immunisation task force, told ANI yesterday that Covaxin had shown very good immune response in tests on children in the 15-18 age group. The Covaxin formula used for children is the same as that used for adults, Bharat Biotech said in October.

With input from ANI