New Delhi: Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has given a recommendation to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for the use of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for the beneficiaries aged between 2-18 years, the official sources said.
Earlier, Dr. Sanjay K Rai, a professor at Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had claimed almost similar data.
Dr Sanjay K Raisaid, “Covaxin’s trial was done on three age groups. The first group examined was between 12 -18 years, the second group was between 6- 12 years and the third age group was between 2-6 years.”
Notably, Dr Rai was the principal investigator of COVAXIN trials on children.
“At first, we finished the examination of people aged between 12- 18 years and then subsequently other groups. Covaxin’s vaccine safety and immunogenicity are almost the same. However, the final results of these trials are awaited. We had already carried out trials on the adult population. For children, we are waiting for the results,” said the doctor.
Meanwhile, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 95 crores.
The nationwide vaccination drive started in India on January 16 with the healthcare workers (HCWs) and the frontline workers getting inoculated in the first phase.
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.
The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1.
The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.
