Government of India announces vaccination for 12-14 years age group

Dharamshala: Addressing the 102nd Covid Taskforce briefing, sMenpa Tsering Tsamchoe reported 17 new cases in the past seven days, from which eight are male and seven female. The oldest among them is 76 years old, while the youngest is 11 years old. While ensuring the Taskforce’s persistent services, she further elucidated Tibetan in India’s quarantine status of the same period, mentioning 12 home-quarantine and 13 institutional quarantine.

During the past two years since the emergence of the pandemic, the Department of Health, in collaboration with Men-tsee-khang, has disbursed 57,436 Sorig immune boosters, mostly to the quarantined and age below 17. The same was also provided to the people with comorbidities, old-age people and frontliners. At the same time, sMenpa Tsamchoe reported that 576 tests had been conducted amidst the reopening of Tibetan schools across India.

Up until now, 49,955 Tibetans above 18 in India received both doses, while 400 are yet to get the second inoculation. In addition, 695 people have also received precautionary doses. Six hundred ninety-five children between 15-17 are entirely vaccinated, and 752 are partially jabbed as for India. Meanwhile, 7,029 Tibetans above 18 in Nepal were fully jabbed, while 109 age group of 15-17 were also inoculated.

Since the government of India announced initiating a vaccination drive for 12-14 years children from 16 March, the Taskforce Committee appealed to Tibetan settlements in India to seek it out.

Following the sMenpa Tsamchoe, Department of Health’s staff Tsering Yangdon unravelled the prevalence of psychological concerns in Tibetan community during the pandemic, which often arose from isolations, fears, uncertainty and insecurity caused by the Covid. Hence, she stressed the importance of realising the causes of one’s unusual feelings and opening it up with someone close to you. She further urged anyone in need of psychological advice to contact the Mental health section of the Health Department or reach out to the department’s branch in respective regions while mentioning the accessibility of guide videos on Tibettv and the department’s website.

Due to difficulties in reaching the Tibetan youths scattered across colleges and universities in India, Tsering Yangdon stated that youths are more vulnerable to psychological disturbances and are urged to contact the Mental section if necessary. She also highlighted youths pursuing psychology to contribute and contact the department to tackle the increasing mental health problems in the community.

Despite recent drop in Covid cases, Dr Tenzin Namdol forewarned a rise in cases due to easy transmissibility of the variant, relief in Covid restrictions around the globe, and anti-vaccination movements. Therefore, she requested to consider the seriousness of the virus before concluding. Dr Tenzin Namdol further informed about the accessibility of Corbevax in local hospitals and advised elders not to miss it for their children.