Comorbid children will need a doctor certificate for shot

Children with comorbidities will need a certificate from a doctor to avail of the Covid-19 jab, a senior government official told ET, as India gears up to start inoculating children from next month. Based on the recommendations of the Covid working group, guidelines on vaccinating children with underlying medical conditions will be issued soon, he said.

The list is expected to include children with haematological, neurological, cardiac, liver, gastrointestinal, rheumatic, cancer, respiratory and developmental disorders. "The standing technical sub-committee of the NTAGI (National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) has held several meetings with top paediatricians and will issue the guidelines soon," the official said.

The committee members are of the view that a certificate prescribed by a doctor would be mandatory to get children vaccinated. While the committee is looking at ways to make it easier for parents to get the certificate, it also wants to ensure that fake certificates are not issued.

"There are various issues that the committee is looking into; for example, who will certify it, how to make it simpler and how to ensure that false certificates are not issued," said the official.