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| A healthcare worker fills a syringe with a dose of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine called COVAXIN, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in New Delhi, India, on Jan 16, 2021. (File photo by= REUTERS/Adnan Abidi) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] BENGALURU: On Tuesday (Oct 12), India recommended emergency use of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 shot in children below 12 years of age, making the vaccine maker the first in the country to get such an approval after a review of its trial data for the 2-18 age-group, Reuters reported.
The decision comes as India shifts its focus to vaccinating children against the coronavirus, having already rolled out more than 950 million doses to adults among its population of nearly 1.4 billion. "Children with comorbidities should be vaccinated as soon as possible now that a vaccine with immunogenicity in children and a large safety database in adults is available," said Dr Gagandeep Kang, professor at Christian Medical College, Vellore. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, which uses an inactivated coronavirus with an immunity booster, is among the three shots that are being used in India as part of the vaccination drive for adults.
More than 110 million doses of Covaxin have been administered and the company is in the process of securing an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization, a decision that is expected later this month. To be sure, without the WHO nod, the two-dose shot is unlikely to be accepted as a valid vaccine around the world.
