On May 12, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) permitted Bharat Biotech to run phase 2 and phase human clinical trials on 2 to 18-year-olds, reported news agency ANI citing sources.
Subject Expert Committee (SEC) gives nod to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials on 2 to 18-year-olds: Sources#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/0FD1y3IGYh
— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2021
If the trials of Covaxin proves the efficacy of the vaccine in children, it will boost India’s vaccination drive to eliminate the Covid-19 pandemic from the country. As of now, the vaccine is only permitted for the age groups above 18 years of age.
Presently, there is no vaccine available for Children anywhere in the world. Just a day ago, FDA had approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine to be administered to children between the age of 12 years and 15 years. The permission came after the announcement made by the companies in late March that the two-dose vaccine was found to be 100% effective in a clinical trial of more than 2,000 children.
Covid-19 third wave expected to be dangerous for children claim experts
Experts believe that the third wave will soon hit India. During the third wave, only children under the age of 18 would not have been vaccinated, they may become an easy target for the virus, and the age group under 18 might be most affected during the possible third wave. Cardiologist Dr Raghavendra Parashar, Senior Consultant, Jaipur Golden Hospital, while talking to India Today, said that the behaviour of the virus must be studied, especially in children, to avoid the spread of the infection.
Rumours of Covaxin approval for children 12 and above
A few days back, there were some rumours floating around on social media platforms that PM Modi has approved Covaxin for children above 12 years of age. However, it turned out to be a fake forwarded message. The trials have not been conducted for the vaccine on children; thus, the possibility of such approval was ruled out. Once the trials are done, only then the expert panel of the Government of India would give permission to vaccinate children under 18 years.
Covid-19 in India
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India reported 3,48,389 new cases on May 11, slightly more than the previous day. There are 36,99,661 active cases in the country. 4,198 people have lost their lives due to Covid on Tuesday. 3,55,389 people recovered on May 11, making it the second day in a row with more recoveries than new cases.
