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Two Indian Covid-19 vaccines for children could be available soon

Vaccination for children would be a necessity as India plans to reopen schools
Last Updated 24 July 2021, 15:47 IST

At least two homegrown Covid-19 vaccines for children could soon be available for the nationwide immunisation drive which so far is targeted at the adult population.

At least 11% of the total three crore Covid-19 cases reported across the country was among the age-group below 20 years.

India’s drug regulator is currently reviewing the safety and tolerability data submitted by Zydus Cadila on children as part of the clinical trials of its vaccine aimed at inoculating those in the age-group of 12-18 years.

Bharat Biotech too is carrying out Phase II/III trials of of the whole-virion inactivated SARS-Cov-2 vaccine on children in the age group of 2-18 years.

“The outcome of these trials will depend on data emerging from the trial for the purpose of its approval and availability in the country,” Union Minister of State for Health Bharti Pawar told the Lok Sabha.

With 10-12% of India’s population in the 12-18 years age group, at least 13-14 crore adolescents would require the Covid-19 vaccine in the country.

Vaccination for children would be a necessity as India plans to reopen schools, which now have been shut for nearly 15 months since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year.

While several states plan to re-open colleges first, Indian Council for Medical Research Director General Balram Bhargava said it would be wise to start primary schools first as kids were not too susceptible to the coronavirus.

On Friday, the European drugs regulator approved the use of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for children aged 12 to 17. In May, the United States had authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years old.

Indian officials were in talks with both Moderna and Pfizer for supply of vaccines, but negotiations were taking longer than expected as the order books of both the pharma majors were full for most part of this year.

Earlier, a study published in The Lancet said that “living with 11-17 year olds increases the risk of infection by 18-30%.”

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(Published 24 July 2021, 15:44 IST)

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