India begins vaccinating teens as Omicron fears rise
Gulf Times
A health worker inoculates a student with a dose of the Covaxin vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus during a vaccination drive for people in the 15-18 age group, at the Nelamangala Government High School and Junior College in Bangalore.
India extended Covid vaccinations to teens aged 15-18 on Monday, after officials tightened restrictions in big cities to avoid a repeat of last year's devastating outbreak.
More than 200,000 people around India died in a huge spring Covid wave that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums.
Health workers have since administered more than 1.4 billion vaccine doses but less than half of India's population is fully inoculated, according to government data.
Hundreds of teenagers patiently queued with their parents on Monday morning outside a school turned into a makeshift medical centre in the capital New Delhi.