COVID-19 vaccine for kids will be available anytime soon. The NEGVEC will soon release the recommendations from the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI). Here’s the full story.
Vaccine approval status report
According to the latest reports, the Indian government will announce concrete news on the COVID-19 vaccine for kids before the next weekend. The government sources report that the decision on vaccinating children will be ready by the first half of October. Additionally, the result of the Covaxin clinical trial on children is expected to reach the regulator for an emergency use approval around October 20 or 21.
The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVEC) will then study the report. They will reach a decision on which category of recipients from the Zydus Cadila‘s triple dose ZyCoV-D DNA vaccine will be for children. At present, about 70 percent of India’s adults have received at least a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccine for kids-vital as schools open
As schools and universities open across the nation, vaccination for the younger generation becomes crucial. The government’s guidelines on the same will provide a template for prioritizing and vaccinating children. After all, vaccination will be vital for those with comorbidities. “On the Zydus vaccine, we are looking at the recommendation of the NTAGI. On which category of children has to be used in the first phase. (Alprazolam) They have looked at the comorbidities. That (recommendation) should come any day now. Once it comes, we will study and make a decision,” said the experts from NTAGI. It is India’s top institute and advisory body for immunization.
Additionally, the results of Covaxin’s two to three pediatric studies will arrive before the end of October. They evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and reactogenicity of the vaccine on children above the age of two. In addition to this Covovax, the Indian version of the Novavax manufactured by the Serum Institute of India is ready for testing on Indian children. Named NVX-CoV2373, the recombinant nanoparticle protein-based covid vaccine may show good results. Moreover, the trials for Biological E’s Corbevax will take place across ten sites in India.