India will begin vaccinating teenagers from the ages of 15 to 18 from Jan. 3 and also administer booster vaccine doses for health care workers a week later, as omicron-fueled COVID-19 cases spike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Citizens who are older than 60 years and suffer from comorbidities can also get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in January, Modi said in a televised national address.

"India needs to be vigilant about the spread of the coronavirus,” Modi said, adding that people should not pay attention to rumors nor panic about rising infection numbers.