On Tuesday, a panel of experts suggested the usage of Covaxin - Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, for the inoculation of children between the ages of two and eighteen.
On Tuesday, 12th of October, a panel of experts suggested the usage of Covaxin - Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, for the inoculation of children between the ages of two and eighteen.
The Hyderabad based company on this matter said, "Bharat Biotech has submitted data from clinical trials in the two - 18 age group for Covaxin to CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation). The data has been thoroughly reviewed by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC), provided positive recommendations."
The company additionally also said, "This represents one of the first approvals worldwide for COVID-19 vaccines for the two - 18 age group... We now await further regulatory approvals prior to product launch and market availability of Covaxin for Children."
The government has also seen this as a positive development, with the junior health minister, Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar, telling "We said we will get a vaccine for children between two and 18... it will be approved soon. SEC has recommended... it will be approved soon... trials were conducted keeping in mind safety of children. We are committed to their safety," to reporters.
The final government approval which is viewed as a formality will be given by the Drug Controller General On India. When it arrives, Covaxin will be only the second vaccination approved for use on children in India; Zydus Cadila's three-dose DNA vaccine was approved for use on adults and children over the age of 12 in August.
The Serum Institute's Novavax vaccine is a third possible vaccination for children, and the DCGI approved studies for youngsters aged seven to eleven years old last month. Another is Biological E's Corbevax, which has been approved for advanced testing on children over the age of five.
Bharat Biotech, a vaccine producer, announced this week that it has submitted results from child vaccination studies.
The Covaxin vaccination used on children is the same as that used on adults, but independent trials were required to ensure the vaccine's safety and efficacy in children.
Although the results of these studies have not yet been made public, over 1,000 youngsters were tested across the country. The panel did remark, however, that the effectiveness rates in the children's study were comparable to those in the adults' trial.
The DCGI received data on the vaccine's effectiveness (for adults) in June, indicating that Covaxin is 77.8% efficient in guarding against the virus.
After administering over 96 crore doses to adults, India is progressively shifting its emphasis to vaccination children against the coronavirus.
Children from two to eighteen must be vaccinated, according to Dr Randeep Guleria, chief of Delhi's AIIMS, because that's the only way to get rid of the epidemic.
Concerns have also been voiced about a surge in cases and the risk of children getting infected once schools reopen and students return to classrooms, as well as the necessity to vaccinate adults working in schools.
