Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday welcomed the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to administer COVID-19 'precaution dose' to healthcare and frontline workers from January 10 next year.
Terming it as a "right step", the IMA in an official statement said that a "third wave due to the new COVID-19 variant of concern omicron is at our doorsteps and we need to protect our health care front line workers in all possible ways."
Appreciating the efforts of the government in creating the adequate infrastructure for a possible third wave, IMA said, "Building up immunity is good, and also necessary adequate manpower is created to augment manpower to face the third wave."
Welcoming the "much-awaited" decision of vaccination for children in 15-18 age group from January 3 next year, IMA said that at this moment of reopening of schools, this will be the welcome step to bring additional safety to children.
"The vaccination process for children must be handled with much more care and constant monitoring and surveillance must be ensured. As we are living in a well-connected mass media and social media activism, a small complication can be exaggerated. Government should take adequate cooperation of family doctors and paediatricians effectively," IMA said.
"The policy of additional dose with mixed match policy if adopted, the government should ensure availability of Covaxin in a larger level as majority of people has taken Covishield in the first two doses," it added.
The IMA also assured its continuous participation with all our infrastructure and manpower "to make sure vaccination reaches the last man of this country."
( With inputs from ANI )
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