AMN
Covid-19 vaccination for students in schools started in Kerala from today. 967 schools in the state with more than five hundred students are converted into vaccination centers for the drive. It aims to vaccinate the maximum number of children above the age of 15, in the wake of the recent Covid-19 surge in the state.
Vaccine will be administered to the students with the consent of parents. Around 55 percent of children in the 15-18 age group had been vaccinated already in the state.
Meanwhile, Kerala Health Minister Veena George cautioned that the Omicron variant is not to be taken lightly. Omicron is spreading at a rate five to six times faster than Delta, the minister said. She also requested the public to avoid unnecessary hospital visits.
Amid the huge spike, the state government is planning to impose more restrictions in the state. Covid Review Meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow will make a final decision on further restrictions. State government also plans to close all higher education institutions in the state. Kerala Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has said that a final decision will be taken tomorrow in the Covid review meeting.
The possibility of online classes will also be considered.
Meanwhile, the state recorded 28,481 new Covid cases yesterday and the daily test positivity rate in the state crossed 35 percent. Thiruvananthapuram district witnessed an unprecedented surge, with a test positivity rate of 47.8 percent. In the wake of recent spike, Covid restrictions are being intensified all over the state.