Covaxin for children aged 12 and above approved

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Saturday approved Covaxin for emergency use for children above 12 years. The approval is for children between 12 to 18 years of age only. The vaccine is not for children below 12 years.

Covaxin is only the second Covid-19 vaccine cleared for use for children in India after Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D.

As per sources, the government will need to give orders to Bharat Biotech for the children’s vaccine. The roll out depends on policies for children’s vaccinations as well, which hasn’t been firmed up yet.

This is a two-dose vaccine, as opposed to Zydus’s, which is a 3-dose vaccine.

Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech in a statement thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, DCGI and NTAGI for the “diligent review of all data”.

The Hyerabad-based company said, “COVAXIN is formulated uniquely such that the same dosage can be administered to adults and children. COVAXIN has established a proven record for safety and efficacy in adults for the original variant and subsequent variants.”

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