Roll out vaccines for children as it will help the nation gain herd immunity, an umbrella body of paediatricians has written to the Centre amid rising cases of Omicron. Children form 30-35 per cent of India’s population and should not be kept unvaccinated for a long time, said the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation Practices (ACVIP).

Dr Bakul Parekh, a member of ACVIP and national president IAP, “They [children] are the only population left to be vaccinated. If we vaccinate them, we can get herd immunity.” The state paediatric task force and IAP have been urging the government to vaccinate kids. Dr Parekh, who is also a member of the state paediatric task force, said jabs for kids have become even more necessary with the reopening of schools.